It hasn’t really been the best season for West Ham, the Europa Conference League run notwithstanding, and it’ll surely rile Hammers fans up further when they realise that they could’ve bagged a €50m-rated defender for virtually a bargain price.
If there’s one area where the east Londoners have struggled, it’s at the back. They’ve continuously been exposed and it’s no real surprise that they find themselves down the wrong end of the Premier League table.
How different things could’ve been had they signed Napoli’s central defensive colossus, Kim Min-Jae.
According to transfer specialist, Jacque Talbot, speaking on his YouTube channel, the Premier League outfit actually had a deal in place to sign the player from Beijing Guoan for just £2.5m but David Moyes considered it too much of a gamble.
The player eventually signed for Fenerbahce who then sold him to Napoli last July for €18.05m (£15m), where he’s gone on to become as much a part of Napoli’s charge to the Serie A title for the first time since the late 1980s as anyone.
Indeed, transfermarkt now rate his market value at an incredible €50m.
If nothing else, this highlights incredible levels of incompetence at the east London outfit.
At £2.5m, Min-Jae would’ve been a steal, and the Hammers must be kicking themselves now that they were unable to sign off on the deal when they had the chance.