West Ham United may have invested heavily in the summer transfer window, mainly utilising the £105m freed up from the sale of Declan Rice, but David Moyes is still in need of January reinforcements.
Despite reaching the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup and coming to within touching distance of the Europa League knockout stages, fixture congestion has taken its toll on their squad.
The Hammers have won just one of their last five matches in the Premier League and although they stopped the rot with a 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest last time out, the squad could do with more competition for places as Moyes eyes up a new right back to challenge Vladimir Coufal.
West Ham transfer news – Aaron Wan-Bissaka
As relayed by Football Transfers earlier this week, West Ham could go back in for Aaron Wan-Bissaka in January, after failing to secure a deal for the 25-year-old in the summer.
It is reported that the Irons are looking at the Manchester United star as a possible target following the news of Coufal's uncertain future with the club unwilling to extend his contract beyond the summer.
Negotiations with the club's other right-back, Ben Johnson, have also hit a stumbling block, as the club and player remain some distance apart in agreeing terms of the deal.
That said, West Ham could launch a bid for Wan-Bissaka, who is valued at £17.5m (€20m) as per Football Observatory, and land an upgrade on Coufal.
The stats that show Wan-Bissaka would be an upgrade on Coufal
This time last year, it looked as though Wan-Bissaka would be departing Man Utd in January after being overtaken by Diogo Dalot in the pecking order at right-back, but the Englishman fought for his place and thanks to some solid form, won the starting berth back from Dalot.
With the Red Devils more interested in extending his one-year option as opposed to entertaining talks for a long-term renewal, his future is once again up in the air, which suggests he is not guaranteed to be a key part of their plans moving forward.
At West Ham, however, he would likely play a pivotal role in Moyes' starting XI, returning to his home city where his attributes as an all-encompassing full-back would be allowed to flourish.
Described by James Maddison as a "ridiculously good" one vs one defender and the "best in the world bar none" for how difficult he is to get past, Wan-Bissaka has reined in the plaudits for the fundamentals of his defensive work, prioritizing his ability to tackle and pocket opposing wingers as opposed to marauding up the pitch.
For a Hammers side that are tasked with doing a lot of defending, having a full-back capable of doing the above is imperative, with the 25-year-old boasting the physical attributes and defensive statistics that demonstrate he's an upgrade on Coufal in that area.
Statistic
Wan-Bissaka
Coufal
Tackles won
1.64
1.46
Interceptions
1.60
1.33
Blocks
1.49
1.03
Progressive carries
2.63
2.39
Pass completion
84%
66.3%
Successful take-ons
1.07
0.20
All stats via FBref
Although Coufal eclipses Wan-Bissaka for his attacking output, posting four assists this season compared to the Englishman's one, the Man Utd titan is better than his compatriot in every other department, offering added strength in the tackle, explosive ball carrying and better accuracy with his passing.
With Wan-Bissaka open to leaving Old Trafford, Moyes should pounce at the opportunity to sign the former England under-21 star and solidify a position that is in need of surgery.