Aaron Cresswell has been a truly brilliant servant for West Ham United over the past eight years.
The 32-year-old joined the Hammers from Ipswich Town in the summer of 2014 for around £4 million (Mirror).
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Since then, Cresswell has racked up nine goals and 34 assists in 276 games for West Ham (Transfermarkt).
Last season, he bagged eight assists in 39 games for the Hammers and this term he has seven to his name in just 25 outings so far (Transfermarkt).
The 32-year-old is a key figure at the London Stadium and is one of David Moyes’s most trusted on-field lieutenants.
He is a hugely popular player at the London Stadium amongst the fans and players alike.
We cannot keep hiding behind his popularity and his wand of a left foot though. Cresswell has been a really poor defender for quite some time. And something has to give.
West Ham left-back Aaron Cresswell needs replacing
The Liverpool-born left-back spent a couple of months out injured earlier this season.
He returned to action last month and has already been at fault for numerous goals that we’ve conceded.
Cresswell was to blame for both goals we let in against Leicester, the last minute winner that Manchester United scored against us and Leeds’ first goal during their 3-2 win at the London Stadium.
The 32-year-old’s positioning is horrendous and he often just stands still, allowing opposing attackers to drift in past him.
The former Ipswich Town left-back lacks any kind of pace, mobility or dynamism either. When coming up against quick, energetic wingers, he usually struggles.
Cresswell is technically very good and he possesses an unbelievable delivery. That doesn’t mean that he’s a good defender though. You can bet your life that he wouldn’t be anywhere near Moyes’s starting XI if he didn’t possess such a wand of a left-foot.
And that left-foot doesn’t mean that he’s a Premier League level defender.
We’re not saying that he should be moved on. A character like Cresswell is always good to keep around.
Moyes should be looking to make a huge upgrade in the summer though. Cresswell just makes far too many mistakes defensively and he isn’t mobile or powerful enough for the modern game.
Replacing Cress won’t be easy, of course it won’t. But if Moyes is to guide West Ham to any kind of success over the next few years, he absolutely cannot continue with the 32-year-old as his first choice left-back.
That might sound harsh, but the Hammers have got to move away from this habit we have of showing too much loyalty to players who aren’t really good enough anymore just because they are popular figures at the club.
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