West Ham United mismanaged Albian Ajeti, but it can be fixed

When West Ham United brought in Ajeti on deadline day last summer, futures looked bright. A few mistakes later and they need to rekindle that spark to get the most from him.

To use the term “mismanaged” might seem a bit unfair on the side of West Ham, but by a lot of fault of their own, they have. In more ways than one they have messed up the progression of Albian Ajeti and now if they don’t want this signing to be a flop.. they need to help fix it.

Starting with the player himself, a lot can be done with just a little bit of work to ruin someone’s confidence. There is really no proof here that has happened but look at the facts… he’s been pushed into a backup role in a much bigger league and given really little to no support.

The only real opportunities that he had were during a time where the Hammers couldn’t figure out its best formations and even there best players were suffering let alone a young star like himself. Now yes, Ajeti was playing and scoring in the top tournament in the world but week in and out the competition was nowhere as tough as it is in the English Premier League.

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Understandably so, the player himself needs to get that confidence back but the team can always help support that in certain ways. Another way West Ham has messed this up was by selling all of the other strikers around him and forcing him in that role. To write off Chicharito and replace him with Ajeti was poor judgment on their part.

Confidence aside, playing Ajeti with the U23’s or in a more prospect-like role would have helped him grow his skills and understand English football all while someone like Chicha, Perez, or AC could have been kept to back-fill Sebastien Haller. Instead, the club has overemphasized Ajeti never allowed for growth in the player.

So how do they change it? Selling him might seem like a reasonable thing but then all he will be is a missed opportunity, not one that failed but one that was underutilized. No, the best route to take, in my opinion, and if all stay healthy, is to use Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen in the striker role next to Seb for now and give the young lad sometimes.

Let us compare Ajeti to Gonçalo Cardoso for a second. Yes, Ajeti is 4 years his senior but they both were brought in with hype and potential. Both came from less powerful leagues but had played well. One, Ajeti, moved right into the senior team and failed while Cardoso went to the youth side and struggled at first only to now be progressing. Sometimes in football, a player needs just that.

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Giving Ajeti the opportunity to grow with the younger side or even go out on loan next season to somewhere that he can flourish and grow (I.E. Diangana) will fix his confidence and the club’s need for someone in his position. The story for Ajeti at West Ham shouldn’t be done just yet, it just needs to be worked on.