West Ham United have fallen off their perch among the forefront of the Premier League ranks this season, currently languishing among the relegation contenders after 22 matches despite clinching European football over the past two seasons.

Indeed, despite awaiting their opponents in the Europa Conference League round of 16 and reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League last season, David Moyes' side have failed to replicate their recent endeavours domestically and have a tenuous hold on their top-flight status at the moment.

Even though the likes of Gianluca Scamacca (£35.5m), Lucas Paqueta (£51m) and Nayef Aguerd (£30m) have all bolstered the ranks with their respective arrivals last summer, the Hammers remain just two points and two places ahead of 18th-placed Everton.

While the crux of the Irons' woes lies with the lack of offensive potency (only four teams have scored fewer top-flight goals than their 19), there remain concerns over the defence, with Kurt Zouma and Aguerd both having endured fitness problems this season.

Also, with another defensive stalwart in Angelo Ogbonna turning 35 in May, Moyes will be considering every option when devising a plan to start a timely ascension back towards prominence, and youth prospect Jamal Baptiste could be the catalyst for such change.

Could Baptiste be the perfect Ogbonna heir?

Since signing for West Ham for £10m from Juventus in 2015, Ogbonna has made 219 appearances for the Irons, scoring 13 times, and has been instrumental in maintaining their top-flight status throughout that time.

This season, the Italian colossus has only started five times in the Premier League, receding to become a utility option as he enters the twilight stage of his professional career.

For all his service to the east London club, time waits for no man - certainly not in elite-level football - and it might now be time for Moyes to shift his focus onto talented starlet Jamal Baptiste, who has recently returned from a long-term absence.

Baptiste, who has been hailed as "impressive" by Tom Maston of Goal, is plying his trade for West Ham's U21s, having made 54 appearances at that level, although he has only featured three times in the current campaign due to his five-month absence.

Highly regarded by Moyes, the 19-year-old started a Europa League fixture against Dinamo Zagreb last season, completing 89% of his passes and making one clearance that night; and if he can rectify the issues which have hampered his progress this year, a prominent position within the senior setup might yet materialise.

Also, with Ogbonna's contract set to expire at the end of the campaign, Moyes might be prudent to channel the ability of a talented prospect who's already on the books, rather than splurging more cash when the likes of Zouma and Aguerd are more than capable of maintaining their starting roles.

Having recently returned to the fold, Baptiste could yet weasel his way into first-team contention, harnessing the abundant potential which lays dormant within and is just waiting to erupt.