Aaron Cresswell injury could be blessing in disguise for West Ham
West Ham need to turn Aaron Cresswell’s injury into a positive for the club by purchasing a superior left back
West Ham have been dealt a significant blow with the news that starting left back Aaron Cresswell has suffered a significant knee injury. Now isn’t the time for the Hammers to wallow in self-pity though. Instead, they must turn his injury into a net positive for the club.
Cresswell could miss up to four months of action after his injury this past weekend. His absence is a cruel blow or Slaven Bilic’s side given their need to get off to a hot start in Premier League action next season. On the surface, it’s hard to find much upside to Cresswell missing significant time.
There is, however, a way that West Ham can turn Cresswell’s injury into a positive for the club. It’s actually a rather simple idea. Bilic and company must dip into the summer transfer market and purchase a superior option at left back to Cresswell.
It may not be politically correct to speak ill of the injured, but Cresswell wasn’t exactly a star for the Hammers last season. He wasn’t awful by any means, but the statistics show he was a below average Premier League starter. He only managed to earn a Whoscored.com player rating average of 6.81 in 37 Premier League appearances.
That mark puts him in the bottom half of Premier League starters. If the Hammers have aspirations of finishing higher in the table than they did last year, they need to upgrade any member of their starting 11 who isn’t an above average performer. That strategy would suggest that Bilic needed to be shopping for an upgrade at left back even before Cresswell’s unfortunate injury.
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The good news for West Ham fans is that Cresswell’s absence may force the Hammers to address the position this summer. Previously, almost all of West Ham’s transfer attention has been devoted to finding a new striker to lead the Hammers’ line. Now, the club will be forced to at least entertain the notion of purchasing new starter at left back.
Frankly, it shouldn’t be all that difficult for West Ham to find an upgrade if they’re really committed to doing so. They have Europa League football to offer and there aren’t many Premier League clubs looking for a left back on the open market this summer. If they put the word out that they’re interested, they could rush to the top of the list for many left backs around the globe.
It’s never good when a quality player suffers an injury, but in the instance of West Ham and Aaron Cresswell, it will provide the Hammers with an opportunity to improve their squad for the long haul.