Slaven Bilic is considering a move to bring Carl Jenkinson to West Ham for a third time, according to the Daily Star.
The 24-year-old was sensational for us during his first loan spell at the club two seasons ago, but struggled for form under Bilic last season before seeing is campiagn tragically ended by a serious knee injury.
Before that injury, Jenko was experiencing a torrid time out on the field and a knock in confidence had clearly hindered his performance levels.
But since recently returning to first-team action for Arsenal this season, Jenko has looked sharp and clearly looks to be getting back to his best.
Some would claim resigning him would be a mistake, but there are several reasons why bringing him back to the club should be a priority in January.
Daily Star claim the right-back will consider his Arsenal future in January as he still finds himself behind Hector Bellerin in the Gunners pecking order.
With first-team opportunities few and far between while Bellerin remains at Arsenal, Jenkinson would be better off moving on to find first team football elsewhere.
Meanwhile, we have struggled immensely at right-back ever since he got injured for us last season, with Michail Antonio, Sam Byram and Alvaro Arbeloa all enduring unconvincing spells on the right side of defence ever since.
Our defence has been our biggest issue this season, with injuries and inconsistent performances leading to Bilic having to put up with a makeshift defence more often than not.
Consistency is key and with a confident and capable Jenkinson returning to the back four or five, we could finally see a return of what impressed us most about the side’s performances during Jenko’s first loan spell.
He and Aaron Cresswell gave us so much going forward on both sides when playing together and having that again would undoubtedly provide our strikers with the service they’ve been craving all season.
We’ve craved a capable right-back ever since Jenkinson left, so if he’s available in January then going back for him has to be a no-brainer.
Additionally, with Bilic having success with a new wing-back system, Jenko would give us on the right what Cresswell already gives us so well on the left. Overlapping attack play, as well as safety in defence. It’s a system we already know works, particularly with Jenko in the team.
It’s unclear whether he would be available on loan again or this time on a permanent transfer, but a six-month loan with the option to buy would undoubtedly be the best way to go about things.
If there’s one position we need to strengthen in January, it’s right back, so why not try and the one right-back we all know we can trust? It’s a no-brainer.
