West Ham Must Utilise Sébastien Haller to Enhance Their 2020/21 Prospects

No laughing at the back please, but Sebastien Haller is the sixth most expensive striker in Premier League history.

Consequently, the Frenchman - signed from Eintracht Frankfurt for £45million last summer - has sadly become the latest poster-boy for West Ham's staggeringly inept transfer dealings. After losing his way under Manuel Pellegrini,, Haller has been marginalised by David Moyes and restricted to cameo appearances from the bench. No wonder he always looks so brooding.

However, this narrative is simplistic and only half true. Put bluntly, West Ham need to work out how to best utilise Haller. With new signings looking as likely as the resurrection of Jesus Christ, manager David Moyes needs to get the most out of his existing squad. The Hammers cannot afford to have expensive attacking options wasting away on the bench.

While Haller only scored seven goals last season, he thrived when partnering Michail Antonio up front and offered something genuinely different to West Ham's usually leaden attack. In Germany, he thrived when partnered with Luka Jovic which means his frequent deployment alone up front was both baffling and wasteful.

His winter travails mask the fact that Haller made a positive impact early last season. Demonstrating Velcro-like chest control, Haller scored twice in a win at Watford and poached an impressive striker's goal against Norwich City the following week. It was only after Roberto arrived in goal to torpedo West Ham's early season promise that saw this change.

Week-by-week, it was possible to see the confidence drain out of Haller like a teaching assistant placed in a class of unruly year 9s.

Yet, even since Moyes has taken over, there have been signs of promise underneath the gloomy exterior. Haller scored two crucial winning goals against Southampton, the second involving the foresight to harry the Saints goalkeeper and the perseverance to ensure the ball found the net. Coming off the bench against Burnley, Haller was only denied an equaliser by an excellent Nick Pope save.

This week, Haller started and scored twice against Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup. This should be the minimum of a £45m striker, but nobody seems to have told Joelinton. The first effort demonstrated the spatial awareness to score an unmarked tap in, but his second goal should excite West Ham fans.

Connecting with an exquisite centre from Robert Snodgrass, Haller outjumped two Addicks defenders to place a header in the far corner of the goal. Not many strikers in the whole division could have executed that particular piece of skill. It was as if Andy Carroll never left.

It is understandable that Moyes looked to continue last season's tentatively-built momentum by fielding an unchanged line-up for last Saturday's opener. However, West Ham looked extremely disjointed against Newcastle.

Whilst the first half wasn't too bad, the Hammers never looked like scoring once Callum Wilson put the visitors ahead. Antonio and Jarrod Bowen, both stars of last season's revival, looked jaded while Pablo Fornals looked as threatening as his teenage-style facial hair. Clearly, something needs to change.

If Moyes was feeling truly daring (a big leap of faith I know) then he should field two strikers against Arsenal this Saturday. Playing cautiously, and waiting for the inevitable Arsenal onslaught, seems like preparing for defeat. West Ham fans do not demand their team win every game, but they do not take lightly to writing games off before they take place - just ask Sam Allardyce.

Alternatively, playing two strikers would give Arsenal's defence something different to think about. Partnering Haller with Michail Antonio, with the likes of Bowen and Tomáš Souček in support, would present a multi-dimensional threat to the Gunners' newfound confidence.

Nobody at West Ham is under any illusions - this season looks likely to be a long struggle against relegation. However, there is talent still remaining in the squad - these players do not become bad players overnight despite West Ham's best efforts.

Haller can provide some fresh impetus into a line-up that already seems to be struggling. With no fresh options forthcoming, it must surely be worth giving him a chance.