West Ham should delay striker search until the summer with Sturridge available

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It’s clear that one of the key areas for improvement for West Ham and Manuel Pellegrini is in attack, where a lack of depth is beginning to show through during Marko Arnautovic’s self-inflicted absence.

However, they may be justified in waiting until the summer to launch a move for a new addition. That is after The Times reported that Daniel Sturridge is set to leave Liverpool on a free transfer.

In some aspects, moving for the England international would be a gamble. The primary concern, as with others like Jack Wilshere and Andy Carroll, would be his fitness issues, though many know that a player of his quality would likely be aiming higher if it were not for his injury record.

The opportunity to snap up a proven and natural Premier League goalscorer is surely one which is too good for the Hammers to turn down, particularly given that there would be no transfer fee to pay.

He may represent a short-term fix to a problem that needs a long-term solution, but there are few better stopgaps to fill the role until the likes of Xande Silva and other talented youngsters develop.

If this is why West Ham have been slow to move in attack in the January transfer window, it could prove to be a shrewd decision to play the waiting game.