West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has admitted that he is desperate to secure some more signings before the transfer window closes next week.

The Hammers were battered 5-1 by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Wednesday in a game that saw them lose Winston Reid and Danny Potts to injury.

However, Allardyce concedes that it is difficult to find the right player for the right price in the January transfer window.

"It really is difficult to secure the player that we're looking for. Price and quality has to go together for us," said Allardyce. "If the price is right and the player's not good enough we have to say no, and if the player's good enough but the price is too big we have to say no.

"It's an unfortunate situation that we find ourselves in. I'm not trying to put the owners under pressure here at all whatsoever, it's just a fact of life. We have to keep trying to find the defending side of it particularly because we took Winston Reid off with a groin today.

"We can stand an injury anywhere else on the pitch other than another defender, and now we've ended up with two injured; Reid with a groin and young Danny off with concussion. It gets even more desperate that we find a solution in the transfer market."

West Ham travel to Fulham in the Premier League next Wednesday.