West Ham fans will be left scratching their heads at why they let another potential star leave, after former reject Thilo Kehrer has emerged as one of Europe’s best centre-backs this season after his permanent move to Monaco.
Over the last few years, the transfer market has been a roller coaster for the East London club, with huge signings like Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta propelling the club to European glory.
This last summer in particular the Hammers were busy throughout the window, giving new manager Julen Lopetegui all the firepower he needs to get back into Europe after a lacklustre 23/24 season under former manager David Moyes.
Around £130m was spent on players like Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who joined an already star cast of Bowen, Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus.
However, despite the team’s recent impressive thrashing of Premier League new boys Ipswich Town, this season has not been the dream they were lined up for this past summer.
To add insult to injury one of their former stars in the making, Kehrer, who struggled during his time in London, has left Hammers fans scratching their heads.
A surprise turn in form for Kehrer
After a savvy and impressive transfer window, it looks as if West Ham may have made a huge mistake after letting the German defender leave too soon.
On paper, replacing Kehrer with Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo is a no-brainer. Unfortunately, football is not played on paper.
Todibo has struggled to settle in so far after arriving late in the window, but did show his quality in the win over Ipswich, while Kilman has already shown why the team spent £40m on the Englishman.
A recent report from WhoScored.com has added insult to injury and will leave Hammers fans in dismay, as Kehrer has been revealed as the best performing centre-back in Europe this season.
The German has an average match rating of 7.64/10 this season, putting him above the likes of William Saliba, Antonio Rudiger, and Ruben Dias.
Thilo Kehrer has earned a better WhoScored rating (7.64) than any other centre-back in Europe’s top 5 leagues this season. 🥇 pic.twitter.com/jV9WaI8iJp
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) October 13, 2024
While no one can blame the Hammers’ top brass for letting Kehrer go, they may have missed out on a potential £15-£20m, which would have massively helped with PSR and reinforcing the squad in the future.
What were they thinking?