West Ham board’s failure laid bare once again as four-goal Premier League star becomes their biggest regret
West Ham United have endured an awful start to the Premier League season, already sitting four points adrift of safety after picking up just one point from their last six games – and one summer transfer failure is already looking as though it’s haunting them.
West Ham had a golden opportunity to pick up points from teams in the bottom half of the Premier League as they faced Brentford at home, before a trip to Leeds away just four days later.
However, with both games ending in defeat, manager Nuno Espirito Santo has it all to do if he is to survive. Espirito Santo joined West Ham in September after Graham Potter was replaced but has yet to turn their fortunes around with no wins in his opening four games.
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And with summer target Eli Junior Kroupi excelling at Bournemouth, fans will be looking on in anguish as to what could have been.
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West Ham will be looking at Eli Junior Kroupi failure with huge regrets
West Ham were interested in Eli Junior Kroupi in the summer transfer window after his solid form at French side Lorient.
The 19-year-old had scored 22 goals in just 30 Ligue 2 games to fire them to the league title, securing an instant return to the top-flight.
However, it was Bournemouth who won the race for his services due to their multi-club ownership with Lorient, and Kroupi has been in superb form.
Four goals in his last three games for the Cherries has shown his talent, and his easy adaptation to the Premier League has seen him nominated for the Player of the Month award for October.
He scored his first goal of the season against Leeds, then warranted his first start with a brace away at Crystal Palace, before notching the pick of the bunch with a long-range effort against Nottingham Forest last weekend.
It’s a kick in the teeth for West Ham, who have only scored three more goals than Kroupi as a collective.
And there is no doubting that being beaten by Bournemouth to Kroupi’s signing will be their biggest regret.
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Poor West Ham recruitment has set them back a few years in the striker market
West Ham held talks with Lorient over a January move for Kroupi, though they couldn’t get a deal done.
Instead opting for veteran striker Callum Wilson, who signed for West Ham on a free, they’ve yet to reap the rewards of a move with just one goal in six appearances.
Jarrod Bowen is their top goalscorer on three Premier League strikes, but Wilson is the only striker with a goal, given Niclas Fullkrug’s disappointment in front of goal.
PlayerPremier League goals this seasonJarrod Bowen3Lucas Paqueta2Mateus Fernandes1Callum Wilson1Niclas Fullkrug1
Their poor recruitment means they now have two strikers aged 32 and 33 with just one goal between them, with little resale value.
That poor recruitment has stunted their growth in the long-term and unless Fullkrug or Wilson can pick up form, they’ll be looking on in shame at how well Kroupi is doing as relegation looms.
