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West Ham United want two Chelsea players on-loan in January, according to reports

Barnaby Lane
Christopher Nkunku, Mykhilo Mudryk, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall training for Chelsea.
Christopher Nkunku, Mykhilo Mudryk, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. (Deposit Photos)

West Ham United want to take two players from Chelsea on-loan in January, according to a new report from the Telegraph.


The Hammers are enduring a difficult season under the tenure of Julen Lopetegui, who was appointed as head coach in the summer.


Currently 14th in the Premier League and just seven points clear of the relegation zone, the Spanish coach is now looking to use this month to add reinforcements to his team to try and ensure they can beat the drop come the end of the season.


The Telegraph reports that attackers are the main priority for West Ham due to injuries to both Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen.


Antonio is likely to miss the rest of the season after his devastating car crash last month, while Bowen, the club's leading scorer this season, has been sidelined for six weeks with a fractured foot.


Lopetegui, however, is also keen to bolster his options in midfield, and, according to The Telegraph, Chelsea duo Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Carney Chukwuemeka are very much on his radar.


West Ham would favour loan deals for the pair, but the club’s hierarchy have not ruled out the possibility of signing them permanently should they be able raise the funds by selling players.


Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scratches his head.
Kieran Dewsbury-Hall. (Deposit Photos)

Dewsbury-Hall joined Chelsea in the summer, following Maresca from Leicester City in a deal worth £30 million.


He's since struggled for Premier League minutes, making just a handful of cameos off the bench, but has been a regular in the Europa Conference League, starting all but one of the Blues' games and scoring two goals.


Chukwuemeka, meanwhile, has started just one game in all competitions.


Speaking with the media last month, Maresca said that he expects the 21-year-old, who has also been linked with Barcelona, to ask to leave Stamford Bridge in January.


"There are players that unfortunately didn't play a lot with us in all the competitions like [Ben] Chilwell, like Carney," said the Italian coach. "Probably they are the first [to say] that they want to leave because they train every day, because they want to play games and if they don't play games probably they are thinking of leaving."


Chukwuemeka should leave, but not Dewsbury-Hall


Everything Chelsea says...


Though they possess different qualities, Dewsbury-Hall and Chukwuemeka are both talented midfielders who will no doubt be yearning for more regular football.


Dewsbury-Hall, however, would have known when he moved to Chelsea in the summer that he wasn't going to be an automatic starter and that he would have to fight for his place. He is, and is doing it well.


He's been fantastic in the Europa Conference League, and Maresca certainly hasn't shut the door on him playing in the Premier League. With the Blues struggling in recent weeks, he could soon get his chance.


Dewsbury-Hall moving on this month would be a mistake on both his part and Chelsea's. They need a strong squad for the remainder of the season and the Englishman has proven he's capable.


Carney Chukwuemeka.
Carney Chukwuemeka. (Deposit Photos)

Chukwuemeka, on the other hand, hasn't had a sniff all season, and Maresca has made it clear there's no future for him at the Bridge.


But while he's not good enough for Maresca, he's certainly too good to sit around not playing, so, even if it might mean swallowing his pride, now would be the right time for him to call it a day on his Chelsea career and go somewhere where he can play regularly.


The only issue is how much Chelsea would want for him. If they can budge on his reported £40 million release clause, he'll no doubt find a buyer. If they won't, he might end up stuck in limbo, which is good for nobody.

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