Despite the immense pressure he is under already at West Ham, it appears Julen Lopetegui has already identified the perfect January signing for him to kick start an improvement.
One of the big head scratchers at the moment is why Lopetegui’s supposed style isn’t being executed by the players, with many claiming it’s because the players in the squad do not have the right skills or abilities to perform what the Spaniard wants from them.
That’s most notable in the case of Aaron Wan-Bissaka who has regularly found himself out of position after attacking phases of play, leaving the right side of defence exposed. While defensively the former Man United right-back has been brilliant, it’s his struggles to perform his attacking duties that have often cost West Ham.
That’s because he’s not a natural wing-back and is much butter suited to flat back four. Lopetegui prefers to play with attacking wing-backs but on just the two occasions he’s opted to play that system so far this season, West Ham have lost 3-0 each time.
So it’s no surprise that Caught Offside are reporting that Lopetegui has earmarked Brighton’s Tariq Lamptey as a key January transfer target.
The Seagulls right-back’s pace makes him more suitable to fulfil a right wing-back role, while he’s also known for his attacking abilities. He has three goals and 10 assists in 106 first-team outings for Brighton, while this season he has one goal and one assist in just four outings, his assist coming in his only 10 minutes of Premier League action this term.
That shows that he can make a serious impact in an advanced role, which is something Wan-Bissaka is struggling with at the moment.
Meanwhile, the report suggests Lamptey is growing increasingly frustrated with his lack of game time under Fabian Hurzeler, which has led to him stalling on signing a new deal at the AMEX Stadium, which expires next summer.
That might make it a little easier for West Ham to negotiate a deal for the 24-year-old in January, but they will have to move fast given Everton, Nottingham Forest and Brentford are also mentioned as potential suitors for his signature.
The only issue is, there’s no guarantee Lopetegui will last in his role until January. If he sees Lamptey as a player he needs in order to help improve his team’s performances on the pitch, he’ll still need to deliver an improvement before then, otherwise it’s becoming increasingly likely the club will decide to make a change before January comes around.
