West Ham are looking to expand their attacking options in January
According to boss Julen Lopetegui, West Ham will be looking for reinforcements in the forward areas over the next month.
The Hammers have lost Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen to long-term injuries in recent weeks, while Germany international Niclas Fullkrug has struggled with form and fitness since joining from Borussia Dortmund in the summer.
The January window is open and Lopetegui is hoping technical director Tim Steidten can provide some reinforcements.
He said: “We have lost two important strikers but the club knows our needs and will work on them.”
“The club is working to do this work and we need to focus on being ready to take part in games.
“I’m not talking about the market here – I’m more focused on the next games and making sure we all have our strengths and beliefs on Saturday. The players who are not there will not help us on Saturday.”
Start 2025 with a trip to Manchester 🚍 pic.twitter.com/mXeFzsaUPT
— West Ham United (@WestHam) January 1, 2025
Bowen is out for a while – Lopetegui
Bowen’s broken foot, suffered in Sunday’s 5-0 home defeat to Premier League leaders Liverpool, is a particular blow.
“He definitely won’t be out for a few days,” Lopetegui said of the England winger.
“Unfortunately he has an injury, he played with it for 30 minutes and now he has to recover.
“This is not good news for us, but we are sure that given his character he will work hard on his recovery. I prefer not to specify a number of days, but we’ll see how things pan out.
“Jarrod is one of our main players and our captain, but we have to find solutions and it is up to the other players to show that they are ready. We expect Jarrod to recover quickly, but we are also looking at the other players.”
Antonio spends time with the family
Antonio suffered a broken lower limb in a car accident a month ago and will not be returning for the foreseeable future.
“Mikhail will be out for some time but it is good that he is home with his family,” Lopetegui added. “Of course he will try to recover as quickly as possible, but we won’t have him here for a long time.”
West Ham travel to Manchester City on Saturday with Alphonse Areola continuing in goal while Lukasz Fabianski is still out with the head injury he sustained at Southampton on Boxing Day.
“We have to wait 10 days to fulfill the Premier League protocol, after which he will be ready to help us, but we trust in Alphonse and Wes (Foderingham),” said former Real Madrid coach Lopetegui.
