Managers often revert back to familiar faces in times of need and so the case proved when Slaven Bilic secured the signing of Nikica Jelavic in 2015, securing a £3m deal for his compatriot after working alongside the star during his time in charge of the Croatian national team. The forward seemed ill-suited to the demands of English football and made just two goalless appearances, a huge disappointment given the expectations that greeted his arrival at Upton Park. He later spent three seasons at Crystal Palace before a brief stint at Cardiff, retiring with a record of just 15 goals in 105 league appearances in English football.Īfter the signing of several Premier League-based flops West Ham turned their attentions abroad in January 2014, and must surely have thought they had made a shrewd acquisition in the loan signing of Marco Borriello.īorriello was an experienced Italy international with spells at AC Milan, Juventus and Roma on his résumé, though flattered to deceive entirely following his temporary switch from the latter. West Ham had hoped to spark a renaissance in the Moroccan after securing his services on a season-long loan deal in 2012/13, though it proved yet another market mistake as he made just three appearances and failed to score. Marouane Chamakh is often labelled as one of Arsenal’s biggest transfer flops but the forward initially began brightly in north London, scoring 11 goals in all competitions during his debut campaign before falling out-of-favour at the Emirates. Wayne Rooney: The tenacious street footballer with the mind of a manager The Norway international contributed just two goals despite West Ham’s promotion and was released at the end of the season, announcing his retirement a year later after failing to find a new club. Premier League cast-offs seem to have been in fashion for West Ham for much of the Gold/Sullivan era, the signing of John Carew finalised with the hope of firing the relegated Hammers back into the top tier.Ĭarew had impressed during four seasons at Aston Villa but arrived at West Ham following an underwhelming loan at Stoke, and failed to rediscover his form during a single season in the Championship. He was released after less than 18 months in east London, securing himself a £1.5m pay off in the process. Forgotten Football Signings November 27, 2020 McCarthy appeared both overweight and overpaid as he failed to score in 14 appearances, with Hammer’s vice-chairman Karren Brady labelling the signing of the forward as ‘a big fat mistake’ and describing him ‘as a player devoted to filling his belly more than filling the net’.ġ4 games, zero goals /NVgRW9fdvz The South African international had scored 37 goals in 109 league appearances for Blackburn before making a £2.5m mid-season switch to the capital, though he looked a shadow of the player who had been a hit during three-and-a-half seasons with Rovers. West Ham ultimately survived after finishing the season in 17th, though Mido’s contribution to the cause was limited at best, failing to score in nine league appearances before heading back to the Riverside.Īrriving in the same transfer window as Mido was fellow forward Benni McCarthy, another player with experience in the Premier League and one who boasted a respectable goal record in England. The former Tottenham and Ajax forward had spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Zamalek, but undeterred by just one goal in 15 Egyptian Premier League appearances the Hammers’ hierarchy were convinced the enigmatic star was the man to fire them to safety. We’ve picked out some of those forgettable faces, here are 10 of the worst strikers West Ham have signed in the Sullivan and Gold era:įacing up to the prospect of relegation during the 2010 winter window, the West Ham board looked for some Premier League experience and signed Egyptian international Mido on loan from second tier Middlesbrough. The takeover of David Sullivan and David Gold over a decade ago was hoped to spark a new era of success at West Ham, though they have proved massively unpopular with the club’s fans and have had an endless amount of misses when it comes to centre-forward recruitment. Once again a whole host of names have been linked with a winter window move to the London Stadium and the Hammers’ faithful will hope the next recruit is right following a hugely disappointing collection of forward arrivals in recent years. Michail Antonio has taken on the mantle of being West Ham’s talisman in recent months but the star will need a supporting cast, especially given the 30-year-old’s troublesome hamstring issues. West Ham are once again on the hunt for firepower with the club’s seemingly perennial striker search set to continue, the sale of club-record signing Sebastien Haller to Ajax this month leaving the club short of options in attack.
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