West Ham to bolster their midfield with forgotten Chelsea midfielder

If you were to examine the sofas of every West Ham United fan, you would find a permanent indent on the very edge of each fan’s settee. 

High heart rates, stress, excitement and fear are all guaranteed for supporters of The Hammers as their matches have been so dramatic recently.

In their last three matches against Arsenal, Wolves and Leicester City, David Moyes’ side have raced into a three0goal lead within 48 minutes of football.

They have done so through fast, thrilling and direct play with the likes of Jesse Lingard, Jarrod Bowen, Tomas Soucek and Michail Antonio cutting through the opposition and firing the Hammers ahead.

However, defending said leads have proved to be very difficult for the East Londoners, with Arsenal producing a second-half fight back and securing a 3-3 draw, while both Wolves and Leicester have come very close to replicating this feat, both scoring two goals in the second-half.

While seven points out of nine from three very dangerous opponents is hardly something to be scoffed at, the second-half struggles will no doubt be a concern to Moyes.

Declan Rice is also nursing an injury, while Mark Noble is also set for a long spell on the sidelines after injuring his arm against Brendan Rodgers’ Foxes.

The injuries to their captain and vice-captain appears to have raised concerns over a lack of midfield cover so, ahead of next season, TEAMtalk report that The Hammers may look to bring Ross Barkley to the London Stadium.

Barkley has had a frustrating spell at Villa Park.

After a bright start, Barkley’s loan spell at Villa Park has been fairly underwhelming and TEAMtalk claim that Dean Smith’s side will not be interested in signing the 27-year-old permanently from Chelsea.

Barkley has an awful lot of competition at parent club Chelsea and it is unlikely Thomas Tuchel will want to retain the midfielder upon his return to Stamford Bridge.

Moyes gave Barkley his Everton debut all the way back in 2011 and the Scotsman helped nurture the midfielder into one of the best young players in England.

With West Ham needing to bolster their options in the middle of the park, and Chelsea needing to trim their squad, Barkley could potentially be a strong addition to The Hammers for a 2021/22 campaign which could see them playing Champions League football.