TalkSport pundit and former West Ham United midfielder Trevor Sinclair thinks the club’s business in the January transfer window could cost them a place in the Champions League.
The Hammers didn’t have a particularly busy January transfer window when it came to the first-team, with the arrival of Jesse Lingard and the departure of Sebastien Haller the only moves to have a real impact on the side. However, the departure of Haller did leave them with just the one natural centre-forward in the form of Michail Antonio, who could potentially be out for the rest of the season with an injury.
And whilst West Ham have managed to maintain their place in the top four of the division, they are only doing so by a single point ahead of fifth-placed Chelsea, who have a game in hand, and speaking on the TalkSport Gameday podcast (54:40), Sinclair felt that their decision not to bring in another centre-forward has finally come back to haunt them as we approach the business end of the season:
“Obviously my heart’s saying I hope West Ham win. But I just feel with Jesse Lingard potentially out, Antonio out, I think my original fears about not getting that backup for Antonio and getting a backup striker is going to come back to hurt West Ham even though it’s still going to be a very successful season for David Moyes.”
Will West Ham earn a Champions League spot this season?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Trevor Sinclair’s comments about West Ham United
Goals don’t really seem to be a problem for West Ham at the moment, with the team having scored 11 in their past four games in the Premier League, so for the most part they seem to be getting on just fine for the time being. If anything, it’s the defence that needs sorting our as they’ve conceded 10 in the same time frame.
But as Sinclair says, at the end of the day, this has still been a fantastic season for West Ham United under Moyes, and even if they have to settle for the Europa League rather than the Champions League, West Ham fans shouldn’t really be too angry in the grand scheme of things for how the club has progressed.
In other news: ‘If I was Jesse’ – Andy Cole drops big claim on Lingard’s future amid West Ham loan