By Conor Hogan

It has been a mixed transfer window at West Ham this month.

The Irons uncharacteristically bolted out of the gates at the start of January, signing forwards Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe for a combined fee of over €50 million. The pair have impressed in their early outings and have played key roles in the Irons’ recent victories over Spurs and Sunderland.

The Hammers have also signed Kieber Lamadrid on loan from Venezuela’s Deportivo La Guaira, but he is currently viewed as an academy prospect rather than a first-team player. Additionally, West Ham hope to wrap up a deal for Fulham’s Adama Traoré this week.

However, despite these encouraging acquisitions, West Ham’s squad is as depleted as it has ever been in the Premier League. Taty and Pablo have upgraded the Irons’ starting XI, but in the same window, the Hammers have lost Niclas Füllkrug, Luis Guilherme, Andy Irving, Guido Rodríguez, Igor Julio and look set to sell Lucas Paquetá back to his native Brazil.

Regardless of your opinion on these players, this is not how you manage a Premier League side – especially not one battling relegation. In fact, I’d argue that this is potentially the thinnest senior squad across English league football and possibly the shallowest side in Premier League history.

When West Ham made their striker signings early in the window, Hammers fans were excited. Finally, David Sullivan was showing initiative in the winter market. But this came at a price – not just a transfer fee.

Sullivan has been stripping the squad since the Moyes era, but in recent times, the number of departures from the club – often without significant return – has been ridiculous.

Fans can criticise manager Nuno Espírito Santo for his tactics or his substitutions, but the 51-year-old is working with the fewest resources of any West Ham manager this century. 

The transfer window shuts on Monday, and West Ham desperately need to make more signings if they are to have any hope of top-flight survival this season.