David Sullivan can help West Ham United secure European football for next season with a January deal to sign Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour on loan.

What’s the word?

According to The Mirror, David Moyes is awaiting word on whether Gilmour has an immediate future at Stamford Bridge following the appointment of Thomas Tuchel.

Frank Lampard had admitted prior to his sacking that the 19-year-old could leave south west London on a temporary deal this month, having left the door open for the Blues product to secure more regular first-team football after only being given a peripheral role this season.

Gilmour earned what was only his sixth outing of the campaign in Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Luton Town in the FA Cup last weekend, while playing just 34 minutes of Premier League football to date.

Tuchel opted to omit Gilmour from his first matchday squad in charge of the Stamford Bridge natives against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday night, potentially offering Moyes hope of being able to seal a late deal for the £7m-rated prospect.

Should West Ham sign Gilmour?

Moyes looking to add depth to his central midfield options would not be the worst idea for the West Ham boss to explore ahead of Monday’s deadline, as the Irons currently only have Mark Noble on hand to provide cover for Declan Rice and man of the moment Tomas Soucek.

Gilmour would perhaps not be expected to displace either of Rice or Soucek in the starting line-up, but he would surely be a great partner for either player and would bring something to the table if needed with the youngster heavily praised for his performances under Lampard.

Lampard threw Gilmour straight in at the deep end when handed only his third Blues start at home to Liverpool in the FA Cup last March, yet he barely looked out of place against Jurgen Klopp’s would-be Premier League champions.

His efforts saw Gilmour named the Man of the Match, having looked to bring play forward rather than shriek into the shadows of his more experienced teammates to earn a wealth of praise from BBC Sport pundits Alan Shearer, Gary Lineker and Ian Wright.

“A lot of the time I've seen Chelsea this season, yes they have good possession in Jorginho and the way he passes it, but he hasn't done what this young boy has done in terms of getting the ball and passing it forward,” Shearer said, via quotes by the Daily Record.

“That's been his first thought. Not only that but he's protected that back-four magnificently. Everything he's done has been spot on: the tackling, the timing of the tackles, setting Chelsea forward, the confidence.”

Praise continued to flow after Gilmour retained a place in the starting XI to pull the strings as Chelsea beat Everton 4-0 with Roy Keane noting, via quotes by football.london: “We said it’ll be a test for him because sometimes you get the plaudits in the first game but now he’s got to do it week in, week out.

“He makes the game look easy, he looks forward, he’s got his head swivelling, looking over the shoulder, he was very positive with his passing. I bet he’s wondering what the fuss is around him, he makes it look very easy.”

That sort of talent does not disappear overnight so, while he may not have played much this season, there should be no reason why Gilmour could not add something to Moyes’ unit at West Ham.

The Irons would kick themselves if they passed up on signing Gilmour and something befell Rice or Soucek and the chance to qualify for Europe goes away, with the London Stadium natives currently fighting for a potential top-four finish on merit as the third-best team on form since Christmas.

AND in other news, West Ham are working on a deal to sign a £13.5m-rated striker on loan…