OPINION
Some of the decisions made by West Ham in recent seasons have been baffling to say the least but one that should still have fans scratching their heads over is related to the signing of Jordan Hugill.
The 26-year-old forward was signed by the Hammers from Preston North End in the January window for £10million (Source: BBC) and seemed to be one of the players recruited in order to fight off the real threat of relegation that surrounded the club.
However Hugill has hardly been given a kick of the ball since joining as he has made only three brief appearances for the senior side.
In fact the attacker has only played 22 minutes of competitive action for the Hammers and it was hard to understand why he was purchased if he wasn’t to be used.
The whole scenario was made even weirder when it felt like as soon as the season was over reports were linking Hugill with a swift exit from the London Stadium.
Claret and Hugh claimed in June that the 26-year-old was set to be the first on the club’s chopping block despite hardly being given time to settle in or demonstrate his talents in a Hammers kit.
It has since been claimed by The Sun that Manuel Pellegrini was keen to move on the 6ft forward (Transfermarkt) despite only just arriving at the club himself, with Leeds United and Queens Park Rangers keen to borrow the attacker for a season.
With Hugill’s signing never being explained and him looking likely to depart the club sooner rather than later as a flop, it seemed like the mystery requiring his recruitment would never be solved.
However it seems a recent report has in fact shed light on Hugill’s signing and solved the mystery around his arrival in January.
Football.London reported on Tuesday that the 26-year-old was signed from Preston just in case the Hammers were relegated and this bizarre logic is mind-boggling.
Why a club would pay out £10million for a player in case they drop down a division instead of strengthening the squad to ensure they stay up is weird logic to say the least.
It’s also made more bizarre when you consider that there shouldn’t have been a rush on to grab Hugill as he no doubt would have still been at Preston this summer in order to purchase, if the Hammers hadn’t come and recruited him in January.
The reason for Hugill being signed may finally have been discovered but it’s safe to say it just confirms that the whole situation regarding his underwhelming Hammers career has been bizarre.
