With West Ham struggling this season, everyone has been quick to point out that we lack goals and that a striker is crucial in the coming window. This is something I totally agree with, we are missing the presence of Carroll up front and we can’t guarantee when he will be back, with a recurring ankle injury. However instead of pointing out the obvious in this article, I think we also need to strengthen in defence.
Defensively we have been quite solid this season, up until Reid got injured. When Reid got injured, the goals we started to concede more goals at the back. Also we have recently lost James Collins and James Tomkins through injury, leaving us rather short of centre back. Therefore I propose we sign a centre back in the window. There are a few options we could go for, but I think perhaps we should go for a quick fix, most probably until the end of the season. The player I am thinking of is Johnny Heitinga of Everton.
Now Heitinga is no spring chicken at the age of 30 but would provide a plenty experience at the back. This could prove beneficial to both Tomkins and Reid who could learn a thing or two from him, as they are still developing as players. Heitinga was signed by Everton in 2009, and has made 98 appearances for them since signing. He has often been solid at the back, but has fallen out of favour with new manager Roberto Martinez.
Therefore it has been rumoured that he will not be offered a new contract when it is up in the summer. This could prove good for West Ham as it would mean we could get him at a reduced price. They only bought him for around £5 million, so I think we could snap him up for as low as one or two million pounds.