David Moyes has declared an interest in Jack Wilshere as West Ham United prepare for a transfer window he believes will be key to them avoiding relegation. Wilshere is likely to be on the Arsenal bench at West Ham on Wednesday night but his future remains unclear as he fights to earn a new contract at the Emirates and a place in England’s World Cup squad. Moyes, who is looking to build on Saturday’s shock win over Chelsea, regards the right January additions as being crucial to staying up.

“You’d hope that if you took a player from another Premier League club it’d be much easier for him to go right into the team and play well,” the West Ham manager said. “Jack Wilshere would be someone who we’d have to look at if he was available.

“I do believe the transfer window could be the difference between relegation and staying up. If we can get the right players, that’s the big part of it.

“I also want to make sure we’re looking at players who’ve got time and who can be at the club for a long period and not just in for a short period. Then there’s also the short-term fix for me which is, how do we get enough wins between now and the end of the season? There’s a balance between that.”

Moyes also sang the praises of Wilshere’s team-mate Aaron Ramsey, reiterated that he had come close to signing the Welshman for Everton. He said the practice of signing up-and-coming players had worked well during his time on Merseyside and he would like to be able to repeat such a strategy, but that it would be viable only as a longer-term approach.

“I had him in my house,” Moyes said of Ramsey. “I think I had his parents in my house as well. He was coming from Cardiff and I was really trying to get him. But that was a long time ago. At that time we were always chasing the best talent, the best young and up-and-coming talent. Aaron Ramsey was certainly one of those.

“I would be interested in trying something similar here. But for that strategy you need time and the spectrum in football has changed a little bit. At Everton Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka took nearly six months to break into the team. Sometimes you buy these players for a little way down the line.

“This is a window where it might not be that type of player because we need somebody who can hit the ground running. I don’t know if that’s easier said than done.

“You tend to find the clubs at our end of the league are desperate to get a couple of players who can make a difference. The teams at the top end are looking for a bit of cover or something a bit extra to make sure that they don’t run out of players if they have any injuries. So you’re just never quite sure in January what players are available.”