A lot can change in the space of a couple of months, and in the case of West Ham fans and their relationship with the left-back position, that is exactly what has happened. Over the summer, a lot of fans were frustrated with their options, yet it seems that now there is enough paper over the cracks.
The two options that the fans have are Congolese Arthur Masuaku and set-piece wizard Aaron Cresswell. Both have signed new deals with the club in the last couple of months, with Masuaku putting pen to paper in July before Cresswell followed suit on Wednesday.
However, this is not the way that things should have gone for West Ham and their left-backs. The fans were not at all happy with the role over the summer, and just because Masuaku put in a solid month of performances and Cresswell backed that up after Masuaku’s suspension, doesn’t mean the Irons are now in a good place.
All over the pitch West Ham have got solid options and Manuel Pellegrini is one of the best tacticians in the Premier League, certainly one of the best outside of the top six, so having a solid squad and building on this side will be the next step, but knowing where to improve has to be key.
Depth-wise, left-back isn’t a problem area for the Hammers and the #9 position and between the sticks is where they’re lacking real quality beneath their starters. Sorting those areas out is going to be a priority, but when that’s been done and it comes to strengthening, left-back is high on the list.
With that in mind, it could be a real issue for Pellegrini when it comes to it and he’s got two left-backs, tied down to The London Stadium until 2023 and 2024, who are strong enough for the Premier League but have little scope to kick on, and he could have sold himself down an alleyway with this one.
