West Ham have been one of the most active teams in the transfer market this month, and the Hammers may further increase their activity by adding a midfielder to the squad.

Manuel Pellegrini walks into West Ham with captain Mark Noble, Cheikhou Kouyate and Pedro Obiang as the club's main choices for midfield. With that in mind, it's fair to say the Hammers look a bit light in that area of the pitch.

Furthermore, Pellegrini should look to bring in Stoke City's Giannelli Imbula to strengthen his hand in the midfield department.

Pellegrini is looking to play an attractive brand of football at the London Stadium, and £6m-rated (via Transfermarkt) Imbula is the kind of player that would bring balance to the Chilean's team.

The likes of Marko Arnautovic, Manuel Lanzini once he returns from injury and Felipe Anderson if he joins from Lazio will be able to fully express themselves on the pitch while Imbula helps to protect the defence alongside Kouyate or any other one of West Ham's midfielders.

Imbula endured a difficult time in England with Stoke City, but the 25-year-old showcased his talent with Porto in the Champions League and Marseille prior to that, attracting interest from Chelsea (via Daily Express) before deciding to move to Portugal.

Given how things turned out at Stoke for Imbula, signing the ex-Porto man may be a gamble. But there's no doubt Imbula has the quality and can reinforce the Hammers' midfield.