It is safe to say West Ham’s recent history has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride, though many fans would say the past two seasons have has some of the best times in memory.
Since being relegated from the Premier League in the 2002/03 season, the Hammers have overseen 15 managerial appointments at the club, including caretaker roles.
With David Moyes now seemingly well settled into his second spell at the club, the fortunes have started to turn in their favour, particularly last season, when they won the Europa Conference League – their first trophy since 1980.
Despite the recent success, there are still a handful of bad decisions made previously that David Moyes and the club will still be regretting, with poor signings high on that list.
Who are David Moyes’ worst signings at West Ham?
Since starting his second spell at the club in late December 2019, Moyes has proved a lot of doubters wrong by keeping West Ham in the Premier League and then of course achieving European success.
Moyes, however, can’t hide from some of the mistakes he’s made in signing certain players in that time.
One player West Ham fans were happy to see the back of was midfielder Alex Kral. The Hammers signed the Czech international on a costly season-long loan from Spartak Moscow in the 2021/22 season. He would play just 256 minutes across six games over the whole season, scoring or assisting none for the club, before being swiftly sent back upon the end of his loan.
Another disappointment was forward Gianluca Scamacca.
The Italian signed only last summer for a hefty fee of around £35.5m, and only scored 8 goals in all competitions for the club. After just one season, he returned to Italy with Atalanta for £27m.
A name that perhaps stands out above all else though, would be Nikola Vlasic.
Who is Nikola Vlasic?
The Croatian midfielder signed for West Ham from CSKA Moscow in August 2021 for an initial £25.7m, before add-ons of around £7.7m, totalling £33.4m.
Vlasic was signed by Moyes to fill the void left by Jesse Lingard, who had impressed during his loan spell the season before but could not agree a permanent move with the club.
Following the arrival of his new signing, Moyes said:
“I am delighted to welcome Nikola to West Ham United. I have been watching Nikola improve over recent seasons – he has got a good goals and assists record in that time.”
While his managers’ public seal of approval would have certainly excited fans about their new arrival, it wouldn’t take long to realise Vlasic might not be the solution he was brought in to be.
The midfielder didn’t score a goal for the club until the end of December 2021, which came in a 4-1 win over league strugglers Watford.
It would be his only goal in his time at West Ham, while his assists record didn’t flatter him either.
He earned just two assists for the club, leaving his manager red-faced for his comments praising his ability to contribute to goals.
What was Vlasic’s salary at West Ham?
As well as costing the club a hefty initial transfer fee, Vlasic was reportedly earning a very lucrative weekly wage in east London.
According to Spotrac, Vlasic’s five-year deal at the club saw him earning an extraordinary £70k-per-week, totalling a little over £3.6m-per-year and being right up there with West Ham’s highest earners, amongst the likes of much more established names at the club in Kurt Zouma and Michail Antonio.
Player
Wage per week
Kurt Zouma
£120,000
Andriy Yarmolenko
£115,000
Michail Antonio
£85,000
Manuel Lanzini
£70,000
Nikola Vlasic
£70,000
His singular season at West Ham in the 2021/22 season saw the club set back a sizable cost of more than £12m for each of his contributions.
Where is Nikola Vlasic now?
After his disastrous debut season at West Ham, Vlasic wasn’t given a second chance to impress under David Moyes and was promptly sent out on loan to Serie A side Torino ahead of the 2022/23 season.
The Croatian’s season in Italy saw his contributions increase slightly, but still not to the standards expected by Moyes or of that he was registering in his time in Russia prior to his move.
He played 37 times in all competitions in his season on loan, scoring five goals and recording eight assists and did enough to impress his coaches at Torino enough to earn himself a permanent move upon the end of the season.
In August 2023, just two years after signing for West Ham, Torino completed the signing of Vlasic for around £10.3m, less than half the fee the east London side paid for him.
Still only 25-years-old, the midfielder certainly has time to turn his career around despite his two failed spells in the Premier League, having already disappointed at Everton after spending two seasons there from the 2017/18 season to the 2018/19 season.
Vlasic’s position in the Croatian national team has never been under threat, regardless of his poor performances for David Moyes’ side, although his numbers aren’t particularly impressive, being without a goal for his country for over two years now and having just one assist in that time.
How have West Ham moved on from Vlasic?
After allowing the departure of Vlasic, West Ham didn’t waste any time in finding a replacement.
Shortly after the Croatian’s initial loan move to Torino went through, the Hammers announced the club-record £51m deal to sign Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta, who has certainly been a success in his time so far.
In his debut season, Paqueta scored five goals and assisted a further seven in all competitions, and was a pivotal figure as West Ham won the Europa Conference League.
His performances have seemingly justified his record fee in the eyes of many fans, as he has arguably solidified his signing as a success, which cannot be said for the now-departed Vlasic.
