Ever-present West Ham centre back, James Collins, is strongly considering a move away from Upton Park this January due to his lack of playing time as the Daily Star reports.
James Collins finds himself fourth in the pecking order for the central defender spot at West Ham behind captain, Winston Reid, James Tomkins and recent signing, Angelo Ogbonna. Collins has found himself out of favour for the Hammers, only making two starts since the start of the season.
After qualifying for the European Championships for his native Wales, the ex-Aston Villa defender feels it’s imperative for him to be regularly playing games at a high standard for him to feature at next year’s tournament. He said, ” Qualifying was the highlight of my career really. The main aim is to get in the team for the Euros, so I need to play as many games as possible now, hopefully I can stay in the West Ham team. Obviously if I’m not, that might be something I need to look at in January. But I love playing for West Ham.
James Collins is one of a few players who may have fallen victim of West Ham’s recent rise. However, he showed last season that he is capable of still competing at Premier League level and will almost certainly find himself another top-flight team if he chooses to end his Hammers career.
If Collins decides to put in a transfer request come January, there will no doubt be a fight for his signature. Possibly the perfect match for the Welsh defender would be to drop down to the bottom end of the table as he could play a vital role in a relegation battle due to his quality and experience. West Ham would be sad to see Collins go but a move away would be beneficial for both parties because at the stage of his career he needs to be regularly starting games.
