West Ham United's poor performance against Everton over the weekend once again highlighted their dire need for a new and explosive attacking midfielder to help the team move forward.

The Hammers were ripped apart on Saturday and struggled to get any worthy attack of their own going, which saw them only manage three shots at goal, one of them on target, while the Toffees fired a staggering 17 shots at the West Ham goal, with nine of them heading towards Lukas Fabianski.

Not good. Not good at all.

The fact that Everton also had the majority of the possession should signal major warning signs to manager Manuel Pellegrini and the club's director of football, Mario Husillos.

Despite all he's done for the club and the great leader he's been, Mark Noble, unfortunately, has been struggling to adapt to the type of game-plan Pellegrini has been trying to implement at the club this season, while the return of Manuel Lanzini will also take a while before he is back to his very best.

Other than that, Pedro Obiang has also been firing hot and cold for the most of the season and hasn't really done anything worth taking note of in recent matches.

The only midfielder, who has made some sort difference in attack has been Samir Nasri, but he has been in and out of the squad to often since joining the Hammers at the beginning of the year and hasn't had to opportunity to play regularly in this West Ham team.

David Gold and David Sullivan should, therefore, pin their focus on an exciting and energetic playmaker in the summer, who is excellent at going forward but who is also clever in his buildup play and is capable of making clever and accurate passes.

Newcastle United are currently showing what a different team in attack they are since they signed Miguel Almiron (who was linked with a move to the London Stadium in January), although he has played as a winger for most of the matches. Felipe Anderson, Robert Snodgrass and Michail Antonio all thrive in wider areas, highlighting the need for that central figure.

But, nonetheless, a similar type of player might be just the addition West Ham need to excel under Pellegrini next season and to put a consistent campaign together on the pitch.

Indeed, the next part of the Manuel Pellegrini project requires an attacking fulcrum of real note.

West Ham fans, do you agree that attacking midfield is the area letting you down? Who would you like to see come in? Join the discussion by commenting below...