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da aposte e ganhe： According to the Evening Standard, Ruben Loftus-Cheek has committed himself to Chelsea for the remainder of the season following his hat-trick against BATE Borisov, making the chances of a January loan move away to West Ham slender. However, there are two other players in the Blues’ ranks that can fill the void in the Hammers midfield instead.
Wounded West Ham
Following a good run of form that saw West Ham take three points from both Everton and Manchester United, it finally seemed as though Manuel Pellegrini’s plans were starting to click into place. The Chilean’s squad had previously struggled to gel, understandable considering that almost £100m was spent in the summer as nine new players were brought in from six different leagues, but after taking seven points from three games, things were looking up.
One of the aforementioned summer signings was Andriy Yarmolenko. Brought in from Dortmund the 6ft 2in winger hit a brace against Everton and was beginning to link up well with Marko Arnautovic and Felipe Anderson – that is until he was stretchered of during his side’s 1-0 loss to Spurs with an injury to his Achilles.
Achilles injuries are particularly nasty and the Ukrainian’s will keep him out for six months, meaning that he joins an injury list that already boasts Manuel Lanzini, Jack Wilshere and Carlos Sanchez. Spanish enforcer Pedro Obiang is also expected to miss Saturday’s clash against Leicester, stripping the London club’s midfield options to the bare bones.
Reinforcements are needed urgently in January if the Hammers want to keep above the drop and there are two ideal ones rotting in the reserves at Chelsea.
A helping hand from Hudson-Odoi
The 17-year-old made his first competitive appearance for the Blues in the very same game that his compatriot, Loftus-Cheek, bagged his hat-trick, and made the most of his 31 minutes after coming on as a sub in the second half.
According to Squawka Football, the winger completed all five of his attempted take-ons and created a chance while also taking two shots. By the end of the game the Chelsea faithful were willing him towards the opposition goal to join Loftus-Cheek on the scoresheet.
An U17 World Cup winner with England, the speedster remained at Stamford Bridge in the summer after delighting fans in pre-season, particularly during his performance against Premier League rivals Arsenal in which he terrorised Hector Bellerin. His performance on Thursday highlighted his hunger and ambition, and the number 20 would relish the chance to play regular first team football- exactly what West Ham can offer him amidst their injury crisis.
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A new duty for Drinkwater
Danny Drinkwater won the Premier League title with Leicester in the 15/16 season, forming a formidable partnership with N’Golo Kante in the heart of midfield and proving that you don’t have to spend huge in the transfer market to win the league. The latter joined Chelsea at the end of that campaign, winning a second consecutive league title as Antonio Conte took the helm.
28-year-old Drinkwater followed the diminutive Frenchman down to London the following summer but has not benefitted in the same way; now completely frozen out under Maurizio Sarri he has yet to make an appearance this season.
The former Manchester United man is adept at long passing and shooting from range, with his tackling also listed among his strengths by WhoScored. He is a quality midfielder and most clubs outside the top six would happily have him in their ranks.
There is a reason that Chelsea paid £34m to bring him in last summer and he cannot be blamed for not being able to break into a starting XI containing Jorginho and Ballon d’Or nominee Kante, with Cesc Fabregas, Mateo Kovacic and Ross Barkley also vying for a spot in Sarri’s three-man midfield.
Valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, Pellegrini should offer the workhorse an escape route in January.