Journalist Pete O'Rourke thinks that West Ham will be looking to bring in a centre-back in January.
The Hammers are flying high in the race for the top four despite a recent blip, with their poor form coinciding with the loss of Angelo Ogbonna.
What happened to Ogbonna?
The Italian has been a key part of the Hammers' success over the last 18 months, missing just 10 Premier League games since the beginning of last season and eight of those were due to an ankle problem.
But that figure will increase significantly after Ogbonna sustained a serious knee injury early in West Ham's victory over Liverpool early this month and looks set for a long spell on the sidelines.
David Moyes has since confirmed that the 33-year-old has undergone surgery to fix his anterior cruciate ligament and revealed that it will be hard for Ogbonna to play again this season.
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Following that Liverpool game, the Hammers have struggled in his absence, collecting just one point from a possible nine and could drop out of the top four for the first time since October if they fail to beat Chelsea on Saturday afternoon.
Craig Dawson has stepped up in place of Ogbonna, but Moyes currently has just three senior fit defenders at his disposal, the others being Issa Diop and Kurt Zouma.
Therefore, O'Rourke reckons that a central defender will be close to the top of Moyes' priority list this January.
What did O'Rourke say?
He told GIVEMESPORT: "I think they'll definitely be in the market for a centre-back to cover for the absence for Ogbonna, who's such a key player for David Moyes' side."
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Have West Ham been linked with anyone?
The one name that always seems to pop up is James Tarkowski and the Hammers are expected to make one final effort to sign him having previously failed in their attempts.
But with just six months remaining on his Turf Moor contract, reports believe that West Ham are unlikely to match Burnley's asking-price and might have to look elsewhere.
Should that be the case, Liverpool defenders Ben Davies and Nat Phillips have been touted as potential alternatives.
Neither of those are likely to get a chance at Anfield, with Davies out on loan at Sheffield United, whilst Phillips hasn't started a first-team game this season. Therefore, surely both would be interested in the chance to play for West Ham,