OPINION
The signing of striker Jordan Hugill has not been the most successful transfer in West Ham’s history, to say the least.
With the BBC suggesting that David Moyes had paid £10million to Preston for his signature, Hammers fans were surely expecting big things from the target-man.
Fast forward a year-and-a-half, and Hugill has just completed his second loan move to the Championship after only featuring for West Ham three times for a handful of minutes – hardly money well spent.
Hugill even struggled to make an impact at Middlesbrough last season, only scoring six league goals in 37 appearances for Tony Pulis, proving that he is not cut out for the Premier League.
Moyes has recently commented on the Hammers, claiming they should become an established top-10 Premier League side in the years to come while also explaining his time in charge of the club.
He also explained the deal surrounding Hugill, saying to the Mirror, “Our plan was to go in and work with the players we had and get them through the season. We brought in one centre-forward, Jordan Hugill, to cover Andre Ayew and Diafra Sakho, who had gone [in the January window].”
“We had to find a way of winning quickly and making sure we weren’t going to be in difficulty. But also understanding that as well as a short-term picture, you were always hoping there was something long-term as well.”
This is surely Moyes scrambling to try and justify his signing of Hugill, who was more than likely brought in with the fear that the Hammers could have been relegated that season.
Eventually, they survived, meaning the signing of Hugill could be one of the most pointless transfers in Premier League history.
Either way, Moyes won’t be fondly remembered at the London Stadium, similarly to Hugill, who one way or another must be sold next season, whether he succeeds or not at Queens Park Rangers.
The former Hammers boss might be trying to justify the signing of the 27-year-old by claiming West Ham needed a quick fix at that time, but the quicker the pair will be forgotten about, the better.
