West Ham need Cornet and co to step up in absence of Paqueta, Bowen and Kudus

As David Moyes leaned forward while answering questions, he was optimistic and seeking to calm any concerns over Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta. He did not want it to seem like his West Ham United side were on the verge of an injury crisis.

The duo were on the casualties list following Sunday’s 1-1 FA Cup third-round draw against Championship visitors Bristol City, but Moyes was hopeful their absences would not be lengthy enough to accelerate the need for offensive incoming during the winter transfer window.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “I don’t think it would necessarily play a part. Obviously, if we’re going to lose people long-term… but I’ve not heard anything to suggest anybody’s severe. It’s this time of the year, you can get injuries.”

But Moyes’ hopes have now been dashed with the news that Paqueta (calf) and Bowen (ankle) will be sidelined for extended periods. Their importance to his team cannot be overstated: Bowen is West Ham’s top scorer in all competitions with 14 goals and Paqueta has thrived in his second season in England, registering five goals and six assists.

It will only act as another blow for West Ham’s manager, with Mohammed Kudus now on Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) duty with Ghana for several weeks, while Michail Antonio, who has been sidelined since November with a knee injury, has suffered a setback in training as he works towards a comeback.

Life without Paqueta and Bowen will quicken the need to sign for reinforcements — and the potential addition of a left-winger is considered a priority. West Ham, who are operating with a limited budget, have been linked with Ajax forward Steven Bergwijn, formerly of Tottenham Hotspur.

There are alternatives for Paqueta in the squad in Said Benrahma, Maxwel Cornet and Pablo Fornals, but they have hastily fallen out of favour.

Benrahma, who is the subject of interest from Lyon in France, was not selected for Algeria’s 26-man squad for AFCON, Cornet was similarly overlooked by hosts Ivory Coast, and Fornals’ struggles show no sign of abating. Those three have made a combined total of 51 appearances in all competitions this season, with zero goals and three assists between them.

Should West Ham fail to augment their attacking options before Tuesday’s replay with Bristol City, their prospects of advancing to the last 32 of the competition will be harder, with Benrahma, Fornals and Cornet struggling to show any semblance of form. However, the trio have no excuses to now prove a point, having largely been onlookers since August. Of the three, the main beneficiary of Bowen and Paqueta being sidelined will be Cornet.

The 27-year-old, who was signed for £17.5million ($22.3m) from Burnley in the summer of 2022, has almost become a forgotten man at West Ham. He has played one minute in the Premier League this season — and only managed 245 goalless minutes in the previous one.

There has been speculation surrounding former loanee Jesse Lingard’s potential return to the club. The 31-year-old is in Dubai, training alongside Fornals, and has been without a club since his release by Nottingham Forest in June. But despite Lingard scoring nine goals in 16 appearances during a six-month loan from Manchester United in 2020-21 and training at Rush Green last summer, The Athletic has been told there is no interest in re-signing the former England forward.

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Divin Mubama is likely to deputise up front for Bowen. The 19-year-old, who is entering the final months of his deal, has made 10 appearances (only one of them a start) this season. Mubama has been the preferred option from the bench over Danny Ings in recent weeks, with the former Aston Villa and England striker limited to cameo appearances as a substitute. Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing Ings on loan this month, but with Bowen and Antonio both sidelined, a departure is unlikely.

Another option for Moyes is to deploy Tomas Soucek as a false nine. Initially a forward in Slavia Prague’s academy before finding a home as a midfielder, he has shown an eye for goal throughout his West Ham career. But with Soucek and Edson Alvarez being Moyes’ preferred central-midfield partnership, this would only be a last resort.

Moyes’ bench for what turned out to be a goalless draw with Brighton & Hove Albion last Tuesday included academy players Lewis Orford, Kaelan Casey and Levi Laing. Attackers Callum Marshall and Gideon Kodua could also now be among the substitutes for the cup trip to Ashton Gate. Marshall, who has attracted interest from League Two side Colchester United, has scored 19 goals and provided five assists in 13 appearances this season for West Ham Under-21s.

Kodua is yet to feature in a first-team matchday squad, but that could change in the coming days. The 19-year-old forward scored for the under-21s in their 2-1 loss to third-tier Wycombe Wanderers in the last 16 of the EFL Trophy on Tuesday. He also got a memorable goal in last season’s FA Youth Cup final win against Arsenal.

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First-team coaches Kevin Nolan and Mark Robson are in regular contact with under-21s manager Steve Potts and will be aware of the youngsters who deserve to train with the seniors. “If anyone asks me who is the one (standout player) of the group, it is still a very tough one to pick,” Potts has said. “I will be intrigued to see how their careers pan out because there is a number in this group that can have very good careers.”

Coping without Bowen and Paqueta will not be an easy task. The only solace is defender Konstantinos Mavropanos’ rib injury is not as bad as initially feared, the fixture list is also not as packed and punishing as it could have been with no Premier League match for the club this weekend thanks to the division’s staggered winter break.

In the short term, at least one of Benrahma, Cornet, Ings, Mubama and Fornals needs to step up and carry the offensive mantle until Paqueta and Bowen return.

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(Top photo: Maxwel Cornet; Ryan Pierse – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)