West Ham opinion: Should the Hammers keep Sam Byram?

West Ham United’s dreams of a top-7 finish look like they might be over, after a poor run of games recently. The Hammers have lost 3 of their last 5 games and have dropped down to 11th place, 5 points below Wolves, who still have a game in hand.

The Hammers should now concentrate on a strong finish to the season before addressing squad issues in the summer. Manuel Pellegrini’s side need reinforcements in a number of areas and one position in their squad where they need a player is at right-back.

Pablo Zabaleta is into the final few months of his current deal with West Ham and at 33 years of age, extending his stay makes little sense. The Hammers have been linked with Antonio Valencia and Rafael.

Both players will be available on a free transfer in the summer and the duo has a ton of experience to show for. However, West Ham should ignore both of them and turn their attention to one of their own in Sam Byram.

The 25-year-old was widely expected to be the next big thing for the Hammers but has had a terrible couple of years with injuries. After his loan move to Nottingham Forest in the summer, Byram managed to make just 1 appearance, before picking up another injury which ruled him out for most of the campaign.

However, Byram returned to action earlier this week against Sheffield Wednesday, where despite Forest losing 3-0, he showed his class throughout the game. Byram didn’t look out of place in the game and there was no sign of rustiness despite being out for so long.

Byram, if he can keep himself fit, would be a boon to the Hammers and has the quality for the Premier League. He could easily fight for the first choice role with Ryan Fredericks, who has also shown glimpses of his quality this campaign.

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Conclusion

West Ham should abort their plan of bringing in a new right-back and give Sam Byram another chance in the first-team. The 25-year-old’s quality is unquestionable and if he can keep himself healthy, he can be a fine player for the Hammers for at least the next 5 years.