West Ham United have started to get things going after a summer of spending on new players as Manuel Pellegrini looks to take the club into European football.
The Hammers started off slowly in the Premier League after a pretty difficult start, however, they have started to find form and have steadily been picking up points along the way.
A number of their players have started to show signs of being important for the side, with the likes of Felipe Anderson, Issa Diop and Lukasz Fabianski just some of the newest additions to the team that appear to be key figures already.
However, one man who has been at the club since the summer of 2017 has started to show that he has become important in their efforts, although there will be concerns over his future at the London Stadium.
Pablo Zabaleta started his time at West Ham fairly slowly, however, he has since come into form and has once again become a key individual for Pellegrini, with the pair enjoying plenty of success during their time together at Manchester City.
The 33-year-old right-back would not normally be considered one with a concern about what the future holds for him, however, reports have started to emerge that could be damaging for the Hammers.
According to Spanish media outlet Sport, it is understood that Zabaleta could look to retire at the end of the season, which would be a huge blow to West Ham.
There had been reports that he could look to move on to the Middle East at some point, however, the Hammers are thought to have an option in his current contract to extend it for a further year.
Should Zabaleta decide to retire, Pellegrini should look to add in the summer, if not earlier and in January, as he will need to find a suitable replacement.
The Irons currently have the likes of Ryan Fredericks and Sam Byram on their books, however, Fredericks has failed to dislodge the Argentine so far since joining from Fulham whilst Byram is currently out on loan with Nottingham Forest.
West Ham will be hoping that Zabaleta keeps himself at the club for another year, especially given the type of performances he has produced recently and will want to see talk about him potentially retiring to be premature.
West Ham fans – thoughts?
