22-year-old midfielder Josh Cullen has told the Evening Standard that there is still the possibility that he will depart West Ham on loan in order to get some gametime.
He said: “It’s not that I’ve decided totally whether I am staying or going; at the minute I’m here, just taking each day as it comes and trying to impress the manager.
“First and foremost I want to be playing for West Ham, but if the manager says to me ‘there’s the right loan there’ then I’ll go and get some games up until January, come back and look at it then.”
Cullen is a hugely promising prospect but was loaned out by Slaven Bilic – to both Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers – and it has not appeared to move him any closer to the first team picture.
On the other hand, Declan Rice was around the club last season and was handed an opportunity to force himself into the senior setup, and he is now one of the first-choice midfielders blocking Cullen’s path.
However, the departures of Edmilison Fernandes and Cheikhou Kouyate in midfield this year should mean that there are first-team opportunities for Cullen in east London and that he shouldn’t need to leave to find them.
Of course the arrival of Jack Wilshere complicates the midfield picture but Carlos Sanchez should really only be a deputy in case of an injury crisis; Cullen should be ahead of him in the picking order.
Factoring in Mark Noble’s gradual decline, Pedro Obiang’s flirtation with a return to Sampdoria, Sanchez’s underwhelming previous Premier League spell at Aston Villa and the aforementioned departures, Cullen should be handed sufficient opportunities to prove himself to Pellegrini.
Letting him leave the club in the past hasn’t put him in a particularly good position. At some point, Cullen must stay and fight for his place and that time is now.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
