West Ham were desperate to land a central midfielder last month.
Using three central midfielders has become the norm in the Premier League in recent years, and that is no different at West Ham United under David Moyes. It means depth in the middle of the park is a necessity.
It makes sense, then, to see the Hammers linked with a whole host of central midfielders in January as Moyes is lacking in options. It has seen him revert to a 3-4-2-1 system, in which he uses only two players in the middle of the park.
Beforehand, the former Everton and Manchester United manager had used three when Pedro Obiang was fit, but even then depth was limited. Only Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate play in a similar role.
It has seen youngster Josh Cullen remain at the club after January, despite spending the first half of the season on loan with Bolton and the Championship side wanting him back throughout last month.
Now, Moyes only has Noble, Kouyate and Cullen to choose from, with the latter largely unproven in the Premier League. Jonjo Shelvey’s performance for Newcastle on Sunday would have turned the knife in Moyes’ side.
The six-time England international dominated the middle of the park during the Toon’s 1-0 win over Manchester United, outclassing Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic – just weeks after the Hammers were linked with a move for Shelvey.
He was just one of a whole host of names, with the Sun crediting the Hammers with an interest. He joined a list of midfielders shortlisted by the Hammers, including Tom Cairney, Leander Dendoncker, Joe Allen and Morgan Schneiderlin.
But the Hammers missed out on signing Shelvey, who is earning £70,000 a week at St. James’ Park according to the Daily Star, as the Toon could not afford to lose the former Liverpool midfielder.
His intricate array of passing, as well as his aggression in midfield would have been perfect for West Ham. So surely the east Londoners are regretting their failed attempts in trying to land Shelvey, after his inch-perfect performance on Sunday.
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