International football takes over the sporting calendar in the next fortnight, with crucial World Cup qualifiers taking place.
Gareth Southgate leads England for the first time, following the departure of Sam Allardyce, against Malta at Wembley on Saturday, before travelling to Slovenia the following Tuesday.
The two-week break also gives Premier League managers time to reflect on the opening few games of the season, and indeed start thinking about potential signings in the January window.
One man who may need to consider some new additions in West Ham boss Slaven Bilic.
He has overseen a shocking start to the new season, and indeed the new era at the London Stadium. The Hammers have won just one Premier League match so far, and sit third bottom with just four points from seven matches.
Subsequently, Bilic knows he is under pressure to turn things around, so here are THREE players him and his team need to identify as potential transfer targets over the international break…
Sebastien Haller
West Ham are in need of goals – they’ve netted just eight times so far this season in the league, and Bilic’s forward options just aren’t cutting it at the moment.
One man they could keep an eye on is French Under-21 striker Sebastien Haller.
The forward will be battling with Moussa Dembele for a starting role against Georgia and Northern Ireland this week, but his nine goals in 17 caps, as well as his fine form for club side FC Utrecht, will leave him confident of making the side.
He’s already netted four times for the Dutch side this season, and scored 19 goals in his first full season at the club last time out.
He clearly got an eye for goal, and may be someone the Hammers need to look at over and beyond the international break.
Marcus Berg
Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.
A short-term option for West Ham in the attacking department may be the signing of Swedish international Marcus Berg.
Although at the age of 30, Berg is still scoring goals regularly for club side Panathinaikos, already netting four times in just six matches this season, both in European and domestic competitions.
This adds to his 17 goals the season before and, in his first two seasons at the Greek club, he also netted 33 times in 62 appearances.
He will likely lead the line for Sweden in their qualifiers against Luxembourg and Bulgaria this week, and West Ham should certainly consider keeping an eye on his performance in those two games.
Eduardo Vargas
Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.
Although he had a disappointing time of it at Queens Park Rangers, there is no doubting Eduardo Vargas’ ability.
It’s in international football where Vargas is at his most prolific – he has netted six times for Chile this year, taking his tally to 31 goals in 60 caps for his country.
West Ham should get to South America to watch a very good Chile side, consisting of Vargas, in action against Peru and Ecuador, and identify whether the tricky midfielder can translate his excellent international form more regularly into club football.