West Ham United’s recruitment over the previous decade has yielded a vast collection of underwhelming transfers coupled with a considerable financial outlay.
The club have had particular problems recruiting in the forward ranks over the years, with some excruciatingly bad signings among them. Think back to Lucas Perez, Benni McCarthy and Marouane Chamakh, who were all woeful signings that contributed very little during their spells at the club.
Another terrible signing was that of Albian Ajeti, who arrived at the London Stadium in the summer of 2019 to much fanfare from the supporters, especially considering his performances for FC Basel in his homeland.
Like so many others though, Ajeti failed to live up to the reputation upon arriving in the Premier League, departing after just one uneventful season, costing the club a colossal amount in the process.
How much did Albian Ajeti cost West Ham United?
The Irons shelled out £8m to sign the Switzerland International four years ago and on the surface, it appeared to be a solid investment by then-boss Manuel Pellegrini as he looked to take the club to the next level.
The striker had netted 43 goals and grabbed 21 assists in just 96 matches for the Swiss side, and he was also capped 11 times by Switzerland, scoring once. Therefore, a fee of £8m seemed like it had the potential to be a real bargain.
It soon turned out that playing in the Premier League is a harder prospect than the top flight in Switzerland and Ajeti was soon found out. He played just 12 matches in his one and only season in England, failing to score a single goal in that time.
The striker earned £53k-per-week during his 53-week stint at West Ham and combining this with his transfer fee, he rinsed the club for £10.8m during his underwhelming stay in London.
They did manage to recoup a £5m by selling him to Celtic in 2020, yet his time north of the border was also littered with poor performances and a lack of goals, scoring just nine times in 48 appearances.
Former Celtic striker turned pundit Frank McAvennie described him as “lazy” during his second season at Parkhead, and it’s clear that his time at West Ham – and indeed Celtic – were a disaster.
It was yet another failed move for a once-proven striker by West Ham, and it appears they have not learned their lesson, with recent acquisition Gianluca Scamacca scoring just eight goals so far with the forward positions appearing to be a poisoned chalice when it comes to recruitment in this area.