West Ham have endured a tricky few weeks, with a 5-0 defeat at home to Manchester City in the FA Cup last weekend succeeded by star man Dimitri Payet telling the club that he wants to leave.

The news of the French international’s decision was made clear by manager Slaven Bilic in his pre-Crystal Palace press conference on Thursday, in which the Hammers boss was visibly frustrated and angry with the 29-year-old.

Payet came off the bench in their 5-0 thumping by Pep Guardiola’s City last weekend, West Ham’s third successive defeat in all competitions, but he certainly won’t be anywhere near the match-day squad for the visit of Sam Allardyce’s Palace on Saturday.

The Hammers picked up three successive Premier League victories over the Christmas period to move away from the bottom three, but defeats to Leicester and Manchester United has seen them fall to 13th place in the table, albeit still seven points clear of danger.

Nonetheless, Bilic will certainly want to improve his squad in this month’s transfer window to completely dispel any relegation fears, so here are TWO midfielders that would be perfect for West Ham in January…

Robert Snodgrass

Scottish international Robert Snodgrass has been in great form for Hull this season, and is certainly their most important player in their battle against the drop.

The 29-year-old has scored seven goals and laid on two assists in his 19 league appearances this season, and he has netted in each of their last two Premier League matches.

Snodgrass has been involved in more than half of the Tigers’ league goals this season, which itself outlines his significance, yet the relegation-threatened club could struggle to keep hold of him over the coming weeks.

West Ham have had a paltry £3 million rejected by Hull for the midfielder’s services, and it remains to be seen whether they up that in the next few days.

Nonetheless, Snodgrass would certainly provide the Hammers were extra spark in the final third, and his set piece ability would be invaluable to the team, especially given Dimitri Payet’s refusal to play.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has had his most prolific goal-scoring season to date at the Emirates, but it hasn’t been enough to see him nail down a starting berth.

The England international has scored six goals in all competitions for Arsene Wenger’s side, yet the good form of Theo Walcott and Alex Iwobi has kept the 23-year-old out of the team – Oxlade-Chamberlain has made more substitute appearances in the league than starts so far this season.

Thus, as the winger stated a few weeks’ back, he could consider moving away from the Emirates in a bid for more first team football, and West Ham could be the perfect destination for the Englishman.

The Hammers have lacked creative spark and directness for much of this season, yet Oxlade-Chamberlain’s pace and confidence to take on defenders could be exactly what they need to climb the table.

Bilic’s men were linked with a move for the 23-year-old in April last year, but nothing materialised, yet it seems clear that Oxlade-Chamberlain isn’t going to break into the Arsenal side anytime soon, and thus could be tempted by a move across London.