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Report: West Ham lining up January swoop for Chelsea's Begovic

Heinz-Peter Bader / Reuters

West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic is reportedly sighting Asmir Begovic as his new No. 1 in Stratford after dropping Adrian from the starting XI following an error-strewn few weeks.

Darren Randolph has been decent between the sticks in Adrian's stead - especially during his standout performance in Sunday's 1-1 draw at Manchester United - but Bilic is keen to get a more reliable shot-stopper behind his obliging backline.

ESPN FC's Peter O'Rourke understands ex-Stoke City man Begovic would be interested in moving for first-team football, something he's not currently getting as Thibaut Courtois' backup at Chelsea, but there may be a reluctance from the Blues to let him leave on loan.

Next in line behind Begovic at Stamford Bridge would be 34-year-old Eduardo, the veteran who joined from Dinamo Zagreb in late August and is yet to appear for his new club. For a team with title aspirations like Antonio Conte's table-topping lot, that could be a shaky second choice if Begovic is allowed to leave.

Nevertheless, Bilic's need to shake things up and bring in new personnel in January is obvious. Following last season's push for Champions League qualification, West Ham is positioned 16th in the division after 13 matches, one point short of the relegation places and possessing the third-worst attack in the Premier League.

The latter aspect was compounded further with Wednesday's news that Diafra Sakho is starting a six-week layoff due to a hamstring complaint.

Related: West Ham's Sakho sidelined for 6 weeks

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