That West Ham's midfield lacks a spark has been apparent for some time, long before David Moyes inherited his last battle against relegation.
His side has numbers and technical ability in spades including an exorbitant collection of No.10s to go with a youngster of all-round promise in Declan Rice and Mark Noble, a West Ham great still capable of brilliant moments but equally no longer the force he once was.
Noble will need replacing sooner or later and for all that Tomas Soucek has impressed on his loan from Slavia Prague there would be some poetic joy to be found in Mr West Ham being replaced by another graduate from the Academy of Football. Josh Cullen may be just that man.
At 24 the easy assumption is that his time to make his mark in the Premier League has been and gone but under the tutelage of Lee Bowyer, who in his prime years was just the sort of dynamic midfield presence West Ham need now, Cullen has gone from strength to strength.
“Josh Cullen has been excellent for the two years he has been working with me," Bowyer told football.london after Charlton's 1-0 win over QPR, a match in which the West Ham loanee played a starring role. "Every single game, he’s outstanding, very rarely does he do anything wrong.
“Again he protected the back four so well in the middle of the park, Josh doesn’t really give the ball he tidies things up, he breaks things up well. He was outstanding.
“I’m really pleased with the way he has progressed as a player in the last two years. He has come a long way I think. He has come so far that he has played for his country at the highest level. It proves he is doing the right things. Today was no different.”
What Cullen brought to the Charlton midfield on Saturday was a rare blend of determination and composure. There was the willingness to throw himself to the ground in pursuit of a blocked shot or tackle but it was combined with a vision that has stood out to those who have followed him during his time at The Valley.
Take the below instance from a 3-1 win over Stoke City at the start of this season. What this image cannot show is that as the ball comes his way from Tom Lockyer Cullen is constantly scanning over his shoulders, looking for the player making the run that can advance Charlton up the pitch.
In this instance that is Ben Purrington who has plenty of space to dart into and combine with Conor Gallagher as Charlton built another dangerous attack on the Stoke goal.
Couple that with a commitment to stick his boot in and win the ball and you have an impressive player indeed. That was most apparent on Saturday in one brilliant melding of composure and fearlessness, a 50:50 just inside the QPR half where he not only beat his opponent to the ball but with a flick of his right boot
Siphon through video clips of Cullen and those same qualities shine through, the "winning attitude" that Bowyer notes as one of his strongest attributes to go alongside his "energy, determination and quality on the ball."
All of those could be assets for West Ham and they are not ones that David Moyes is blind to. What few opportunities Cullen has had at the London Stadium came under the Scot, a minute here and there in the Premier League but also several FA Cup ties.
Moyes has kept a close eye on Cullen's progress at The Valley this season and is understood to have been impressed by what he has seen. There are sufficient numbers ahead of him at West Ham that both player and club might agree that some sort of long-term certainty is best for his career development when the 24-year-old's deal only has a one year option activated by the Hammers left to run.
Yet there is a tempting argument that a forward thinking West Ham should be planning around using Cullen in some capacity. Noble, who turned 33 in May, cannot have many years left. Jack Wilshere's injury record means it would be a bold manager who planned around having him. As Declan Rice's star rises so it will become more difficult for the Hammers to retain him.
In that context why not give Cullen, who ultimately would cost West Ham nothing more than his wages, the chance to earn his spurs? It would surely be a shrewder investment than another big money midfielder who may or may not prosper.
