West Ham United could be in the market for a left back in January.
According to The Telegraph, West Ham United boss Manuel Pellegrini is unconvinced by both Arthur Masuaku and Aaron Cresswell, with Olympiakos star Leonardo Koutris a top target to come in.
The Hammers bolstered a whole host of positions over the summer, but decided not to bring in a left back as Pellegrini stuck with both Cresswell and Masuaku instead of replacing them.
So far, Masuaku has looked uncomfortable as a left back compared to his displays further forward last season, whilst Cresswell doesn’t quite look the player he was during his time under Sam Allardyce and Slaven Bilic.
A new left back may now become a priority, and The Telegraph report that Pellegrini has been left ‘unconvinced’ by both players, and director of football Mario Husillos is looking for a replacement.
It’s claimed that he went to watch Greece star Koutris over the international break, taking in the clash against Finland last Thursday, in which Greece won 1-0 and Koutris played the full 90 minutes.
Born in Brazil, Koutris had spells with Ergotelis and PAS Giannina before heading to Olympiakos in 2017, where he has thrived having hit four assists last season and two so afar this term.
Koutris is just 23 and possesses real pace and attacking ability, and a move to West Ham would be somewhat ironic given that he could be replacing Masuaku. Koutris headed to Olympiakos to fill the gap left by Masuaku’s move to West Ham a year earlier, and could step in to replace the DR Congo international again in 2019.
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