West Ham United saw their incredible unbeaten European record fall as they were defeated 2-1 by Greek side Olympiacos in the Europa League on Thursday evening.
The loss was their first in 18 continental matches, but David Moyes’ men are still in great shape to qualify from their group and make the knockout stages.
Despite going two goals down, a Lucas Paqueta goal with just over 20 minutes left in the tie gave the Hammers a glimmer of hope, yet they could not rescue a point.
There was not a standout performer for the club and now attention turns to a home tie against Everton in the Premier League on Sunday.
West Ham United fail to secure three points against Olympiacos
Overall, it was not a terrible performance by West Ham as they were simply outplayed on the night, yet several players did underperform.
James Ward-Prowse failed to score or assist while making just one key pass during the tie, while fellow summer signing Mohammed Kudus was deployed on the right wing, yet he failed to inspire a positive result, taking just 40 touches and succeeding with only one dribble attempt during his 72 minutes on the pitch.
The defence was also underwhelming during the tie. Konstantinos Mavropanos and Angelo Ogbonna lost possession 12 times combined, while they won only three out of their combined nine total duels, hardly a performance that was going to see West Ham secure yet another three points in Europe.
Ogbonna was making just his fourth start of the season and during the current campaign, he has played only five times, spending the rest of the time on the bench and this could be his final season in London.
Angelo Ogbonna could be entering into the final months of his West Ham career
The Italian defender has a contract that will expire at the end of the 2023/24 season and with the volume of centre-backs Moyes has to choose from, it could be difficult for him to land an extension.
Since joining the club from Juventus in the summer of 2015, he has made nearly 250 appearances yet it is clear that his influence has somewhat waned over the previous few seasons.
Indeed, the 35-year-old made just 16 and 11 Premier League appearances during the last two campaigns and last term, he ranked only eighth across the squad for accurate passes per game (20.8), while ranking 14th for tackles (0.7) and sixth for interceptions (1.1) per game.
He has featured in just two league games so far this season, and none since August, indicating that Moyes prefers to keep him for continental ties, and he could well be entering his final furlongs as a West Ham player.
It appears as though Moyes is looking to sign another centre-back in the January transfer window in order to give his side a boost ahead of the second half of the season.
West Ham United’s January plans
The 60-year-old tactician will be aiming to enjoy a productive winter window with regard to sorting his team out for the foreseeable future, especially with so many players out of contract at the end of the campaign.
The likes of Vladimir Coufal, Tomas Soucek, Ogbonna, and Pablo Fornals are all entering the final months of their deals with the Irons and in order to save a massive rebuild during the summer, Moyes could do some of his business in January.
There has been an update with regard to his plans according to Football Insider, who claim that the London-based side can secure a deal for defender Sebastian Caceres in January for a fee believed to be between £6m-£10m.
With Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Tottenham Hotspur also keeping tabs on the player, West Ham face stiff competition and Moyes will need to make a strong pitch in order to secure his signature.
Sebastian Caceres could be an ideal Ogbonna heir for West Ham
The Uruguayan centre-back currently plays for Club America and has made 109 appearances for the Mexican side since joining back in 2020.
His contract expires in just over 12 months’ time, hence the low fee that Moyes could sign him for and this could represent an excellent piece of business.
The 24-year-old brute has demonstrated his abilities during recent World Cup qualifiers for Uruguay as they defeated Brazil and the defender and was lauded as “solid” for his performance and this has seemingly put some big teams on alert.
Indeed, across the recent four World Cup qualifiers against Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil, the centre-back was not dribbled past at all, kept one clean sheet, and won 63% of his total duels as he had a positive impact on the side which culminated in their historic win over the Brazilians.
Caceres still has plenty of developing to do, but a move to the Premier League could certainly bring him out of his comfort zone and enable him to improve his performances.
During the LIGA MX Clausura, Caceres ranked in sixth place across the squad for tackles per game (1.5), while ranking fourth for interceptions per game (one) and first for clearances per game (3.8), showcasing his raw potential and proving that he could still improve across a few metrics.
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The recent international displays have allowed the defender to perform at the highest level and being part of a team that defeated Brazil is always going to generate some attention.
Moyes does still have plenty of defenders to call upon, yet with Ogbonna looking increasingly likely to leave next summer, there could be a space for another centre-back to arrive.
Signing Caceres in January would give him a few added months in which he could settle in ahead of the 2024/25 season and with the likes of United and Spurs also chasing him, Moyes will need to act swiftly in order to secure his signature.
At the age of 24, he could be the dream heir to Ogbonna, who is currently poised to depart next summer, and be a long-term option for the Scottish boss to call upon over the years to come.