Four West Ham players with the most to prove to avoid David Moyes' axe

West Ham's players are back in training but when the games resume, it'll be a crucial time for some players

West Ham transfer business dealings will have hit a snag amid the Covid-19 pandemic as David Moyes was looking towards next season, on the assumption the Hammers remained in the Premier League of course.

Moyes did admit that he has spent time during the lockdown looking at potential new faces, saying: “I’ve been looking at recruitment and what the squad is looking like. So I’ve had a chance to do bits of all that.”

That will no doubt mean watching videos of players who will have been on his list for a while to see what they can bring to the table.

Before the pandemic, the Hammers were looking to strengthen in a few areas. A striker was one of those being looked at, as was a right back and potentially another central midfielder though that would depend on what happens with Tomas Soucek and his loan deal from Slavia Prague.

Since the outbreak, things have changed. Football.London understands that everyone in the squad has a price though there are those the club are happy to shift on and those they absolutely don’t want to lose. Should relegation happen then they might not have much choice in that.

However there are at least four players whose future is very much up in the air going into the final weeks of the campaign, whenever they may take place with a restart in mid to late June looking the most promising prospect.

Andriy Yarmolenko

The Ukrainian winger just hasn’t got going in east London on a consistent basis as his two and a half year stay in the capital has been wrecked by two long-term injuries. His first year was wiped out when he tore his achilles and his second has been hugely disrupted by a thigh problem.

He didn’t come cheap at £17.5million from Borussia Dortmund and is among the higher earners at the club as well as the Hammers will be looking to reduce their wage bill.

He could be one of the frontrunners to be sold this summer, with the Hammers also well stacked in the position for the future as well having signed Jarrod Bowen in January. He’ll have to prove something to Moyes if and when he gets the chance to play again.

Jack Wilshere

The Hammers midfielder’s move from Arsenal in the summer of 2018 has been a complete bust as, much like the aforementioned Yarmolenko, it has been blighted by injuries.

Wilshere has made just 16 appearances for West Ham since making the move from the Emirates as he has suffered two ankle injuries, a thigh injury and most recently, a hernia which required an operation.

Wilshere has been vocal during the lockdown saying he is fit and he feels like he has unfinished business at West Ham, which he does. He's returned to training as well and will be looking to make a big impression.

However, the club will want to get his egregious £100,000 a week contract off the books this summer if they can and cash in with one year of his deal remaining, rather than pay him for another 12 months and not know if he will be fit.

West Ham during the break

Albian Ajeti

The striker’s £8million move from Basel on deadline day last summer hasn’t worked out at all as he hasn’t been favoured by the manager who purchased him, Manuel Pellegrini, or Moyes since the Scot replaced the Chilean.

Ajeti has had limited chances to shine under both bosses, restricted to starts in cup games but failing to make an impression. He’s had just six minutes of Premier League action since Moyes rejoined the club.

The Swiss international is near the top of the list when it comes to players who could be shipped out at the end of the campaign and the Hammers could potentially make their money back on him if the market dictates.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if the club did go back in for another frontman if possible, though they do have the likes of Michail Antonio and Bowen who can play up front with Sebastien Haller.

Manuel Lanzini

It’s been a tough season for the Argentine midfielder despite playing 20 times in clarent and blue this season for both Pellegrini and Moyes.

Lanzini has failed to replicate the form he showed prior to his knee injury, which is somewhat understandable considering the severity of it, and reached its nadir when he was booed off during defeat to Liverpool.

Lanzini has since been usurped in the pecking order by Pablo Fornals, who started to show why £25million was shelled out on him in the summer, with Lanzini marooned on the bench. Tomas Soucek’s arrival has also pushed Lanzini down the order.

Moyes previously claimed Lanzini was the best player at the club and that no-one was behind him more than him - the midfielder has played five minutes of action since and didn’t appear in the four games prior to the Premier League stoppage.