David Moyes and Tim Steidten have got a little under two weeks to ensure that the West Ham first-team squad is in good enough shape to see out the remainder of the 2023/24 season.
They’ve reached mid-January in reasonable form, and though they’ve been knocked out of both domestic cup competitions, the XIs that Moyes picked on both occasions in the losses to Liverpool and Bristol City would suggest that focus is elsewhere.
The Hammers are in the Europa League Round of 16 and are just outside the Premier League’s top four, and the players shouldn’t need much motivating to go well in either of those competitions.
One issue that could derail their ambitions are injuries to key players.
Lucas Paqueta is believed to be out for at least another six to seven weeks, whilst Jarrod Bowen is also sidelined. Not to mention that Mo Kudus is away on AFCON duty and might not be available until mid-February if Ghana can go all the way.
One player that won’t be involved in any transfer business this month but is unsure where he’ll be plying his trade after this season is West Ham’s 25-year-old on-loan goalkeeper, Nathan Trott, currently at Danish club Vejle Boldklub.
“I think this season will be my last at Vejle. My focus is just to keep them up right now, and of course you never know what the future holds. But I think I’m ready for the next step now,” he told Tipsbladet.
“I haven’t really thought about what will happen this summer yet. Of course, my loan agreement expires this summer, and my contract with West Ham also expires, but there is an option in my contract which gives West Ham the opportunity to extend the contract by two years.”