West Ham United, a side who had ambitions of breaking into the top-six at the start of the season, find themselves in a relatively disastrous situation at the beginning of 2020.

The January window will offer the club's decision makers an opportunity to freshen things up and help David Moyes steer the club to safety, and a recent report from Sky Sports' Kaveh Solhekol reveals where the club will look to strengthen.

What's the word?

The Hammers spent big in the summer to secure the likes of Sebastien Haller and Pablo Fornals, but their spending spree hasn't had the desired effect so far.

Perhaps what the players need is a quality central midfielder to connect the various dots.

And Solhekol has suggested that's exactly what the east London outfit will be targeting in the mid-season window, per Sky Sports.

"The Hammers have two key targets during the January window and are seeking a strong, physical, box-to-box midfielder - and they have between £6m and £12m to spend."

The report suggests they'll also be targeting a goalkeeper and their budget for that acquisition is set between £6m and £12m, while the club are open to the idea of signing another centre-forward amid Haller's struggle to hit the ground running in the Premier League.

Central midfielder long overdue

Perhaps the most important acquisition Moyes can make in his first month as manager is that of the central midfield variety.

The club would have been wise to sign an all-round midfielder in the summer in order to phase out Mark Noble and give the team a focal point in midfield, and their failure to do so was one of Pellegrini's biggest problems during his time in charge.

Jack Wilshere's fitness is consistently unreliable and beyond Manuel Lanzini, who has also endured his fair share of injury problems, there is little by way of natural midfield quality.

It's a long overdue acquisition for the club to make and it's one which just might hand Moyes the tool he needs to carry the Irons to safety.

Solhekol's claim that the club will target a central midfielder should be music to supporters' ears.