Would this be the ideal January window for West Ham United?

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West Ham United had a big spending summer and they struggled to click under Slaven Bilic, which led to the sacking of the Croatian.

David Moyes was then a shock appointment by David Sullivan and David Gold. Supporters were underwhelmed by his arrival, but the team have now won three of their last seven Premier League matches, in addition to gaining credible draws against Arsenal and Tottenham.

The former Everton and Manchester United manager has got the side well organised, which was lacking under the previous regime and they start the month of January on an upwards trajectory.

There will be expectation from the supporters that the club will make signings as they owners have always been willing to back their managers throughout the years. Moyes will want to bring in some of his own players and build the squad in his image.

The main problem for the new manager is that the club spent a lot of money in the summer. Transfermarkt value their summer business at roughly £40 million, but the free signing of Pablo Zabaleta and loan signing of Joe Hart wouldn’t have come cheap.

The main aim for West Ham this window has to be to keep hold of Manuel Lanzini. Last January, they suffered the loss of their key man at the time Dimitri Payet and it would be devastating for them to meet a similar fate this year.

The growing expectation that Philippe Coutinho is going to leave Liverpool could have an effect on the future of the Hammers’ midfielder as the Reds have been linked in the past.

West Ham haven’t lost any of the last six matches that Lanzini has played in and he has contributed four assists during that period. He has become the creative hub of the side and it would be devastating to lose him during this window.

Although a move away may seem unlikely now, things move quickly in the transfer window and as a proven quantity in the Premier League, the Argentine will appeal to clubs looking for a quick fix.

It would be unwise for Liverpool to look to replace Coutinho in this window if they do sell him, due to the increased prices. However, as a stop gap replacement, Lanzini would be a good choice and the Hammers need to make sure he doesn’t emerge on any other club’s radar.

At the age of 24, he is one of the younger players in the current first team and David Moyes should be looking to build the team around him. In their new stadium, West Ham want to become a regular European side and their Argentine midfielder needs to play a big part in that journey.

There have also been rumours linking two other players away from the London Stadium. Andy Carroll has emerged as a surprise target for Chelsea, according to reports.

This is another one that seems crazy on the surface, but could make a lot of sense given the previous intentions of Antonio Conte. He wanted to sign Fernando Llorente as back-up to Alvaro Morata and the Hammers’ striker fits a similar profile.

Given his injury problems, this is a sale that could appeal to the club, but he should only be sold if there is an interest in signing a replacement. If not, it would be idiotic to sanction his departure.

The other player being linked with a permanent move is Reece Oxford, who has recently returned to the club from a loan spell with Borussia Monchengladbach. It is believed that RB Leipzig want to sign the talented teenager on a permanent basis.

The move may appeal to the player as the German club are known for developing young talent and giving chances to them. However, he has been one of the brightest talents to come through at West Ham in recent years. They should do all they can to keep him at the club, even if that means first team assurances.

In fact, it would be beneficial for the club to offer them to Oxford as their biggest problems lie in defence. Too many of their defenders are too slow and that does leave them vulnerable to quick attackers.

Pablo Zabaleta, Aaron Cresswell, James Collins, Winston Reid and Jose Fonte are all weak in this area. There are others in the squad with more mobility, but it is clear that they need better options at the back. Their homegrown defender could be a good solution to that. If they choose to sell him, a defender should jump to the top of their wish list.

The other big weakness of the squad is the lack of creative central midfielders. As mentioned earlier, Lanzini is their best player in this department, but he players further forward. They often use a combination of Cheikhou Kouyate, Pedro Obiang and Mark Noble. All have their uses, but none of them have a lot of creativity.

Jonjo Shelvey has been written about as a target, but it would take a big fee to convince Newcastle United to sell. If Moyes could motivate him like he has with Marko Arnautovic, it would be a great signing. However, that is a huge ask.

The next month is going to be eye-opening for West Ham supporters as it will show a lot about the club’s intentions. David Moyes was seen as a stop-gap by many. If that is the case, he is unlikely to be given big money to spend on players that he wants.

It could be a quiet window for the club with one eye on the summer. Although they are in a relegation fight, they have enough talent in their squad to survive comfortably. There isn’t as big a need for new players as there is for other clubs in the bottom half. A couple of additions would boost morale, but they aren’t desperate for them.