SIX Winston Reid alternatives for West Ham to consider

News inside the club seems to suggest that we are losing the battle to keep star performer Winston Reid at the club with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United readying bids for the centre back.

Should the New Zealander leave the Hammers, we would be very light in the centre half position with James Collins and youngster Reece Burke the only two viable deputies; neither close to Reid’s level. It may be wise then for us to start considering replacements for Reid seen as his departure is looking increasingly imminent in January.

The board might be tempted into looking for a loan possibility if Reid does go but I feel like a long-term central defender would be worth the investment at this stage.

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Pericles Pereira

This may be an unfamiliar name to most but Pereira may well be one of the most promising young defensive talents around. The 21-year old stands at 6 foot 4 and plays in the Portuguese league for Gil Vicente. More commonly known as Pecks, he has been a stand out performer for the Portuguese outfit and is being tracked by the likes of Manchester City. He is a clever defender who specialises in reading the game and interceptions but his strong physical presence gives him an aerial advantage too. Pecks also seems comfortable on the ball from what I have seen of him and likes to play out from the back.

Antonio Rudiger

We were strongly linked with German international Antonio Rudiger over the summer as rumours emerged that he fancied a move to the Premiership. Stuttgart have valued him at around £10m which seems steep but if we could get him for a cut-price deal then he could become a solid addition to our defensive line. The 21-year old has been capped four times by Germany and can also fill in at full back. However, the likelihood of a deal being agreed is slim as he is expensive and would probably favour a move to Arsenal over us.

Eder Balanta

Colombian Eder Balanta is widely viewed as one of the best young centre backs in the world. At 21 years of age, he has already shown maturity and levelheadedness which should stand him in good stead for his career. He currently plays for River Plate in Argentina where he is some sort of cult hero. He is a strong and quick defender with footballing abilities that have been likened to those Franz Beckenbauer. Barcelona, Liverpool and other big clubs have been linked with him so we would do well to secure his services though.

Diego Reyes

Mexican defender Diego Reyes is another youthful prospect who has excited followers of FC Porto. The 22-year old is commanding in the air and intelligent in his game. He was part of the Mexican world cup squad for 2014 and has already been capped 15 times for them. However, he is finding regular game time hard to come by at Porto and has been limited to only 6 competitive appearances there and was left out of their Champions League squad. He may be tempted to make a switch – loan or permanent – and West Ham should consider the young centre back if Winston Reid does decide to leave.

Liam Moore

Should Leicester continue to struggle with life in the Premiership, we may be able to tempt Liam Moore away with the promise of regular top-flight football. Moore was a stand-out performer for Leicester as they stormed to the Championship title last year and has already proven his capabilities can handle Premier League life too. The 21-year old is versatile as he can slot in at right back if needed but his main attributes are speed and strength which equips him well for Premiership football. The England under-21 international is one of the country’s hottest prospects so we would do well to land him as a replacement for Reid.

Cheikhou Kouyate

Could the answer to this problem be lying right in front of our eyes? Powerhouse Cheikhou Kouyate has been deployed in midfield so far but played more frequently as a centre back for Anderlecht and some may argue that this is his preferred position. If Reid leaves, we may not even need to strengthen at the back as the likes of Mark Noble, Alex Song and Diego Poyet can also play a similar holding midfield role to Kouyate. But, considering the dominating performances that he has contributed already this season, it would be foolish to drop him back into a position where he cannot dictate and boss the midfield as much as he has been doing.