Wednesday 2 November 2016 09:25, UK
After a slow start to the season, West Ham United, who take on Everton live on Sky Sports 1 HD on Sunday, have recovered a degree of form. But there's still plenty of room for new faces at the club. Football Whispers cast their eye over the latest West Ham transfer rumours.
The Hammers have put together back-to-back 1-0 wins over Crystal Palace and Sunderland, and are unbeaten since a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Southampton last month.
However, Slaven Bilic's men still lie 15th in the Premier League with just 10 points to show from their opening nine games.
Last season, the east Londoners surprised many with their brand of attacking, free-flowing football which saw them finish in seventh position, just four points outside the Champions League places. They conceded an average of 1.43 goals per game and scored 1.7.
This season their goals average is down to 1.1 per game, so it's no surprise that the London Stadium occupants are thought to be in the market for attacking additions when the transfer window re-opens in January.
West Ham searched long and hard for a top-class striker this summer. Reportedly, bids were made and rejected for Lyon's Alexandre Lacazette, Marseille's Michy Batshuayi - who has since joined Chelsea - and AC Milan's Carlos Bacca.
They ended up signing Italian international marksman Simone Zaza from Juventus. The deal which took Zaza to the Hammers is an initial loan with an option to buy.
But the latest reports suggest that West Ham have hardly been blown away with Zaza's performances so far - the former Sassuolo striker has registered no goals or assists in 502 minutes of football - and the club are considering terminating loan deal early.
That means that the portion of the transfer budget that had been set aside for the eventual purchase of Zaza could be reinvested elsewhere, with an England international rumoured to be a target for the Hammers.
Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge has been linked with a move to London Stadium by Italian media outlet Calciomercato.
Sturridge has made only four Premier League starts for Liverpool so far this season, as his status as a guaranteed member of the Reds' first-choice XI has been eroded in recent months. Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp was openly critical of the former Chelsea and Manchester City player's injury record last season, and Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino has been preferred as the side's primary attacker as a false nine on several occasions this term.
Sturridge is yet to find the net in league action during this campaign, but he has notched four times in the EFL Cup.
The 27-year-old striker's ability is unquestionable, but it is perhaps his lack of dependability that has prevented him from becoming a key figure in Klopp's system, and Firmino's ability to press from the front gives the former Hoffenheim player the upper hand over Sturridge as a positional rival.
So, if this situation perpetuates, a move for the 24-cap England forward is not beyond the realms of possibility. And if a switch away from Anfield is on the cards for Sturridge, West Ham would be at the front of the queue to try and sign him.
Bilic will value Sturridge's ability to link play and interact with supporting midfielders, as well as his lethal finishing inside the penalty area.
So far this season, Sturridge has maintained a pass accuracy of 72.3 percent, which may not seem like a great average, but for a player who operates predominantly in the final third, and who looks to make key passes in tight areas, it's more than respectable. By way of comparison, England colleagues Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy have pass completion rates of 66.7 percent and 64.7 percent respectively.
Sturridge has also won 53.3 percent of his duels so far this season, meaning that, despite his injury troubles, he can exert a degree of physicality.
With all of this in mind, the Hammers may view Sturridge as an ideal partner for Andy Carroll.
Sturridge demonstrated his ability to perform as part of a strike duo during the 2013-14 season, in which he partnered Luis Suarez up front for Liverpool. The Reds came within a hair's breadth of winning the Premier League with the England striker scoring 21 goals and registering seven assists in 29 league games.
Now, obviously, Carroll and Suarez are vastly different strikers, but Sturridge's ability to operate in wide areas and unselfishly work alongside another centre-forward makes him an ideal strike partner for anyone.
Just a few weeks ago, the chances of West Ham signing Intern captain Mauro Icardi would have been pretty close to zero.
But the Argentinian striker's recent troubles at the San Siro have led The Sun to speculate that those odds might be tipping in the Hammers' favour.
Icardi has recently released an autobiography which included a passage that told the story of a heated exchange that the 23-year-old had with some of the club's ultras last year. A significant section of the Nerazzurri's support took offence to the former Sampdoria player's version of events and called to him to be stripped of the captaincy.
When Inter played Cagliari at the San Siro two weeks ago, some fans could be heard booing Icardi as he prepared to take a penalty with the game goalless, and then cheered when he put his spot kick wide.
The club have confirmed that Icardi will be sanctioned for his indiscretion, and an apparent truce has been reached with the supporters on the proviso that the book is re-issued with the controversial passage removed.
Icardi's calibre is undeniable: the former Barcelona youth player already has six goals this season and has netted 58 times in 111 games since signing for Inter in 2013.
But his attitude has been questioned over the years, and this most recent fallout may put some of the continent's elite clubs off making a move. Could West Ham swoop to sign one of the deadliest marksmen in Serie A?
West Ham are also interested in signing Lyon winger Rachid Ghezzal, according to TalkSport.
Ghezzal was outstanding for l'OL last season after getting his chance in the starting XI when star forward Nabil Fekir was ruled out long-term with a knee ligament injury.
Playing on the right wing, the Algerian international was superb when dribbling inside onto his left foot, either looking to slip through defence-splitting passes for Lacazette or unleash a powerful strike at goal.
In 29 total Ligue 1 appearances last season - 16 as a starter - Ghezzal scored eight goals and registered eight assists. He also averaged 2.1 successful dribbles per game and 1.6 key passes, and was named man of the match six times.
The 24-year-old came close to joining Everton in the summer but instead elected to remain at Parc OL due to the Toffees' lack of European football.
This season, Ghezzal's position in the Lyon line-up has been less assured as he has made just two starts in the league with five substitute appearances. This is due largely to the return to fitness of Fekir, as well as manager Bruno Genesio's switch to a back three in recent weeks, meaning there is no natural wide position for the France-born number 11 to fit into.
If Ghezzal were to arrive at London stadium, he would be competing with the likes of Dimitri Payet, Manuel Lanzini and fellow Algerian international Sofiane Feghouli for an attacking midfield berth.
