Summary After a massive overhaul of the squad, West Ham United's form has improved significantly, currently residing in seventh place and challenging for Europa League spots. The signing of James Ward-Prowse proved to be a steal, contributing to a total of 15 goals so far this season. Despite the signing of Kalvin Phillips, his performances have left a lot to be desired, making errors in his debut and against Manchester United. Giving playing time to academy player Lewis Orford could have been a worthwhile alternative.

After winning the Europa Conference League last season, West Ham United were expected to be challenging for Europa League spots by the end of the current campaign.

At the moment, the London-based club currently find themselves residing in seventh-place, just two points behind Manchester United.

This is a massive upheaval in form as, last season, despite winning a European trophy, The Hammers only survived relegation to the Championship by six points.

In order to try and cement their Premier League status during the 2023/24 season, David Moyes sanctioned a massive overhaul of his squad, which included selling academy graduate, Declan Rice to Arsenal for a fee worth around £105m.

This massive injection of money allowed West Ham to spend around £117m to bolster their team. The summer transfer window included the likes of Mohamed Kudus and James Ward-Prowse joining the club for fees worth over £30m.

However, after the season got started following the end of the summer transfer window, it felt as if something was missing from Moyes' squad.

That is despite Ward-Prowse proving that his transfer fee of £30m was an absolute steal. The former Southampton man has managed to contribute to a total of 15 goals across all competitions thus far.

Despite the midfielder exceeding what was expected of him following last season's 16 goal contributions for Southampton, the centre of West Ham's team seemed to lack stability and needed somebody to come in and help Edson Alvarez with the defensive-midfield duties.

So, in the January transfer window, Moyes struck a deal with Manchester City and gained the services of Kalvin Phillips on loan until the end of the season.

How Kalvin Phillips has performed at his new club

Despite Phillips' addition being a statement signing for the Hammers, his move to the London-based club has left a lot to be desired so far.

During his debut for the club, he was taken off in the 68th minute after making an error which allowed Bournemouth to capitalise and score their only goal of the game.

His second game for West Ham came against Manchester United, where he was only brought on in the 72nd minute. Despite coming on late into the second half, Phillips was once again at fault when he lost the ball in the centre of the park as Alejandro Garnacho eventually scored.

These errors that the defensive-midfielder has made could've potentially been avoided if Moyes had decided to entrust academy graduate, Lewis Orford.

The youngster signed his first professional deal with West Ham last February and has been in stellar form for the U21s this season but hasn't been seen in the first-team picture. Instead, a move for Phillips in January was preferred. He may well come good but those valuable minutes could have been handed to Orford.

Who is Lewis Orford?

Orford is a defensive midfielder who has been with West Ham since the age of five. The youngster's talents have been likened to that of Rice by The Guardian with his range of passing also being 'beyond his years.'

In a feature, writer John Brewin said: 'His height reminds of Rice and Carrick though he exhibits a greater turn of pace than either, with a range of passing beyond his years that has made him the Hammers’ U18 playmaker.'

The talented midfielder was also included in West Ham's first-team when they played against FCSB in the group stage of the Europa Conference League and has already been in the matchday squad on three occasions this term.

As the transfer of Phillips is yet to make a noticeable difference to West Ham's results, it could've been worthwhile for the club to have given the playing time to an academy player such as Orford instead.

As per Transfermarkt, Orford has played a total of 19 games this season for West Ham's youth setup and has contributed to eight goals. Perhaps not as defensive-minded as Phillips, it's clear he can play a pivotal part, notably in the final third.

Indeed, an extended run in the first team could've been highly beneficial for the youngsters' development and would've allowed Moyes to mould Orford into the player he desires.