West Ham United might have started the January transfer window slowly but a key area of concern was sorted upon the loan signing of Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips last week.
Crashing out of the FA Cup against Bristol City has compounded a succession of draws in the Premier League to stir a few grumbles around east London but there is much to look forward to heading into the business end of the campaign.
The Hammers are sixth in the top division after the term's midway point and have topped their Europa League group, meaning they bypass the round of 32 and await their opponent in the last 16.
David Moyes' side have scored the fewest goals in the league's top seven with 35 from 21 matches, however, and the rumour mill suggests that West Ham will move to boost their attack before the market shuts, especially with Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta both injured, the latter not expected back until March.
West Ham eyeing late move for EFL star
West Ham have been interested in signing Sunderland winger Jack Clarke but Fabrizio Romano confirmed last week that the Black Cats are determined to rebuff interest in his signature, rejecting bids thus far.
FC Nordsjaelland youngster Ibrahim Osman is also on the club's radar but a first formal offer has been knocked back.
Moyes eyes a big Benrahma upgrade in West Ham move for 5 ft 9 "revelation"
West Ham are showing interest in a winger as Moyes aims to bolster his squad
ByRoss KilvingtonJan 27, 2024
As such, West Ham could opt to move for Norwich City's rising star Jonathan Rowe, with talkSPORT claiming over the weekend that the 20-year-old is high on Moyes' wishlist.
Augmenting the attacking options is a priority but the London Stadium side do not have long before the window closes.
Jonathan Rowe's season in numbers
Bowen will be back in action soon and West Ham secured a top-class player in Mohammed Kudus last summer, with the Ghanaian bagging nine goals from 24 outings for his English outfit, but Moyes is somewhat reliant on these players and will be desperate to boost his options.
Rowe might be young and relatively inexperienced but he has enjoyed considerable success in the Championship this season and has been praised for his “scintillating” performances by pundit Carlton Palmer.
Across 31 fixtures in all competitions, Rowe has posted 13 goals and four assists, showing his combative energy in the Championship with an average of 3.1 ball recoveries and 5.2 successful duels per game, as per Sofascore.
Rowe recently broke his hand but does not require surgery and will not be sidelined for an extended period, meaning that if West Ham were to complete a swoop the Englishman could be integrated into the Irons first-team sooner rather than later.
Jonathan Rowe's style of play
A directness and electricity to Rowe's craft makes him a good fit on either flank and he has indeed been fielded across both wings in almost equal measure this season, though it is worth noting he is far more clinical on the right, scoring nine of his 13 strikes this season on that side.
As per FBref, the 5 foot 10 whiz ranks among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across divisions similar to the Championship over the past year for goals, the top 14% for tackles and the top 20% for interceptions per 90.
Take note of his impressive defensive metrics, something that is no doubt at the core of Moyes' desire to bring him to the London Stadium, with the Scottish manager's resilient and calculated set-up relying on stars to pull their weight throughout all situations on the pitch.
Speaking of his skill set, the Canaries star revealed that he strives to be enigmatic in his game and bewilder opponents, remarking: "I like to be unpredictable. For those out-to-in runs, you have to make sure you mix it up and keep the defender guessing. You have to make sure he doesn't think 'okay, he's just going to get the ball to feet'."
TalkSPORT's report claims that West Ham will need to cash in on a fringe star to enable the acquisition of a player such as Rowe, and while Pablo Fornals is attracting interest from La Liga team Real Betis, Said Benrahma is also touted for an exit and it is the Algerian man who Rowe could directly replace and prove to be an upgrade on down the line.
Why Jonathan Rowe is a Benrahma upgrade
West Ham completed the £20m plus add-ons signing of Benrahma from Brentford – who were in the Championship at the time – in January 2021 after initially starting the term on loan with Moyes' side.
The £55k-per-week ace has been described as "unplayable" by pundit Joe Cole in the past but his influence has waned this season and he is currently a shadow of his former self, and while he still has two-and-a-half years on his current deal there is a growing sense that he will be shipped on this January.
Indeed, rumours emerged on Monday evening suggesting that the player could head to France with Ligue 1 side Lyon interested in completing a deal.
This arguably wouldn't be a loss for the Irons. Take a look at the table below, Benrahma's hardly performing at a productive standard, albeit only starting 13 of his 22 appearances this season.
22
0
1
0.05
52
12
5
0.33
48
11
6
0.38
35
1
7
0.23
But, regardless, the 28-year-old has lost his way and could now be replaced by the young buck that is Rowe, who is desperate to make his name at the highest level and as aforementioned, is a great l deal more decisive and productive when it comes to registering goals and assists.
Importantly, Benrahma's defensive work rate is not up to scratch right now and a lack of energy is possibly hindering his changes of a prominent role in Moyes' team.
Moreover, his direct output is hardly evoking confidence within a team desperate for added impetus in front of goal, and Rowe could definitely mark an improvement in this regard too.
West Ham must now act quickly and with conviction to snap up Rowe and allow Benrahma to head off for pastures new, with the Norwich man the perfect up-and-coming star for Moyes' system.
