Six West Ham United players who may not survive January

Adrian

The Spanish keeper hasn’t started a match since a 1-1 draw at Stoke in late November. Since then, we’ve seen Darren Randolph solidify his position with style and world class. Randolph was part of an Ireland side that impressed many during the Euros earlier this summer and his form is spilling over on the club level. Slaven Bilic is reportedly open to offers for the 29 year old as there are no immediate plans for Adrian to start. Fenerbahçe S.K. is rumored to have inquired about Adrian but there may not be any moves made just yet. The club has a two year option they could exercise on the goalkeeper, and if they choose not to, he could move on a free transfer this summer. That certainly puts West Ham United in the driver seat with no pressure to sell.

Simone Zaza

Put a bow on this one – it’s over. Zaza is four games shy of triggering the £20m transfer fee that would keep him in East London for the foreseeable future. It’s no coincidence we haven’t seen him in a month then. On January 2^nd Juventus will end the loan for Simone Zaza and immediately loan him out to Valencia on a six month, short term deal. Valencia have been eyeing the 25 year old Italian national for some time and hope to recapture his magical form from his Sassuolo playing days.

Ashley Fletcher

Slaven Bilic could decide he’d like to get his young star some regular playing time since Ashley is currently below Andy Carroll, Andre Ayew, and Diafra Sakho in the pecking order. Well… maybe not Sakho. Bilic has had to change numbers recently due to Leeds United calling daily for the 21 year old Manchester United product. Leeds is currently sitting 5^th in the Championship table, only two points from 3^rd. Adding Fletcher to their attacking line could be the spark they need to take them into the promotion playoffs.

Alvaro Arbeloa

Arbeloa is the sleeper pick for most disappointing signing. The expectations were lofty for the former Liverpool and Real Madrid defender, even at 33 years old. It is difficult to be too tough on the man as he hasn’t been called on all that often under Slaven Bilic. However, that might have more to do with his attitude between matches than on the pitch. One match he was on the bench for (Arsenal) he didn’t even bother to bring his shirt. A staff member had to run in and get it from the locker room. Between the reception Arbeloa received when leaving Real Madrid, the kind words spoken by Zidane, and the reverence the fans had for him; you’d think Alvaro would have contributed more. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Arbeloa out of East London come January.

Jonathan Calleri

Brace The Hammer has spoken at length about the dubious details regarding Calleri’s loan deal to West Ham. All of the shade aside, he has been an utter afterthought. Since missing a sitter in front of the net at Bournemouth, we have yet to see Jonathan back on the first team. In fact, he’s been home in Argentina for most of his loan spell, just hanging out. It’s all but over at this point, we’re just waiting for the announcement.

Gokhan Tore

Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images

The Besiktas loan could end as abruptly as Tore’s season. Gokhan sustained a ‘long term’ injury a few months ago that will see him out indefinitely. The rumor is Slaven wants to keep Tore while the board wants him gone. West Ham reportedly even offered to pay the loan fee back to Besiktas but was turned down by owner, Fikret Orman, saying:

“We will definitely get one or two players in because of injuries but 100 per cent there is not a chance that Tore will come back to Besiktas,”

Not a good sign from Gokhan’s former boss.