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The 7 Worst and Weirdest Transfer Sagas and Mishaps from West Ham

By Scott Johnson

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 14: A steward guards the Dimitri Payet of West Ham United sign outside the stadium prior to the Premier League match between West Ham United and Crystal Palace at London Stadium on January 14, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 14: A steward guards the Dimitri Payet of West Ham United sign outside the stadium prior to the Premier League match between West Ham United and Crystal Palace at London Stadium on January 14, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images) /
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24 Feb 1990: Portrait of West Ham United Manager Billy Bonds during a Barclays League Division One match against Blackburn Rovers at Upton Park in London. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. \ Mandatory Credit: Stephen Munday/Allsport
24 Feb 1990: Portrait of West Ham United Manager Billy Bonds during a Barclays League Division One match against Blackburn Rovers at Upton Park in London. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. \ Mandatory Credit: Stephen Munday/Allsport /

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2. Joey Beauchamp from Oxford and on to Swindon

This is one that some of the youngsters may not have heard. But if you think Payet’s turn was incredible, imagine your record signing crying on the first day that he doesn’t want to be part of the club?

In 1994 Billy Bonds was West Ham manager, and things were looking up. The club had just spent around 1m bringing in a new striker from Oxford and everyone was excited about seeing him play in Claret and Blue. Except, it seems, the player himself.

Having been forced out by Oxford’s financial situation the player didn’t want to move from his home near the club. If he’d had a choice he wouldn’t have moved club. So on the first day it hit that he was travelling for a while to get to training and it was too much. He broke down in tears.

The news was not exactly music to Bonds’ ears. Here he had got a player into one of the oldest football clubs in the country and he just couldn’t understand why someone wouldn’t want to play there. But when a player is in tears, what can a manager realistically do?

As such he was sold for a 200k loss to Swindon just over a month later. A record signing that never played for the club and managed to anger all staff and fans around the club. That’s pretty impressive all round really. What could possibly beat that?

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