West Ham Struck Gold Selling Attacker for £8m, He’s Scored Just 3 Goals in 35 Games Since
From My Perspective, West Ham United's Decision to Sell This Player Last Summer Was Brilliant
David Moyes made some disastrous signings for West Ham during his time at the London Stadium, and Julen Lopetegui is still dealing with the aftermath.
While Lopetegui has managed to offload most of Moyes’ flops, many have only left on loan.
However, one sale last summer stands out as a brilliant decision by Moyes, for which he deserves significant credit.
Known for being stubborn, Moyes made the bold move of selling a player for a low fee, despite having initially convinced the board to spend a large sum on him.
In hindsight, this sale looks like a masterstroke for both Moyes and the Hammers’ owners.
West Ham struck gold by offloading Nikola Vlasic In the summer transfer window of 2023, West Ham sold Nikola Vlasic to Italian club Torino for around £8 million.
Vlasic had spent the 2022/23 season on loan with Torino, scoring five goals and providing six assists in 34 Serie A appearances.
Following his departure from West Ham, Vlasic’s agent suggested that the Croatian never felt fully appreciated at the London Stadium.
However, since making his move to Torino permanent in 2023, the 26-year-old has struggled, recording just three goals and two assists in 35 games—a disappointing return for an attacking player.
By midseason, reports in the Italian media indicated growing concerns at Torino over Vlasic’s poor form.
In retrospect, West Ham clearly made the right call in selling him.
West Ham originally agreed to pay over £30 million to CSKA Moscow for Vlasic back in 2021.
However, due to the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the club ended up paying far less than that initial figure (The Guardian).
Although selling Vlasic for £8 million might not have seemed like a win at the time, it has since proven to be a shrewd move by West Ham.
