It is a well-known fact that West Ham has some of the worst luck when it comes to players getting injured.
Many players have come through the doors at West Ham full of the promise of setting the Hammers faithful’s hearts alight. But, for some, that potential has not been fulfilled due to injuries wrecking their time at the club.
It has been going on for so long Hammers fans have started to believe that the club is cursed. But less superstitious fans believe something needs to happen at West Ham’s training grounds Rush Green and Chadwell Heath.
Thomas Hitzlsperger
The first player of this collection is Thomas Hitzlsperger. The German was instantly loved by fans because of his nickname “Der Hammer”, due to the power he could generate from his left foot. Joining in 2010 from Lazio on a three-year-deal there was a lot of hope that Hitzlsperger would become a vital member of the Hammers midfield.
More from Green Street Hammers - West Ham
- Brighton vs West Ham predictions: Can James Ward-Prowse help end the curse?
- West Ham and two Premier League rivals made huge transfer stand
- Lucas Paqueta bet allegations discussed in West Ham and Man City transfer talks
- Bournemouth vs West Ham predictions: Premier League opener amid transfer chaos
- West Ham near Denis Zakaria transfer after final James Ward-Prowse bid
West Ham had a terrible season, which ultimately ended in relegation. The season could’ve very different if Hitzlsperger weren’t hit by injury for the majority of his time at the club.
Hitzlsperger only managed to appear thirteen times for West Ham. Despite only making such a small amount of appearances Der Hammer made his name known in the East End. Hitzlsperger scored three goals and provided six assists in his short time. The best thing about the german was that when he scored, it was a rocket.
Hitzlsperger’s three goals were all fantastic, and all almost broke the net of the goal. The midfielder scored his memorable strikes against Blackburn, Burnley and Stoke City. West Ham was denied a midfield three of Hitzlsperger, Scott Parker and Mark Noble, because of the germans injuries.
West Ham was relegated at the end of the season, and the German was released. If Hitzlsperger had managed to stay fit and carried on his goal contribution record, the club’s destiny could have been very different.
Andriy Yarmolenko
A current player who could have made such a difference for West Ham if it weren’t for injuries. Andriy Yarmolenko was signed from Borussia Dortmund for a hefty £17 million as part of Manuel Pellegrini’s revolution.
The Ukrainian had a fantastic start to his West Ham career, scoring two goals against Everton to give the Hammers their first win of the season. Yarmolenko started to form a decent partnership with Marko Arnautovic, as West Ham began to show signs of improvement. But, sadly the Ukrainian was struck down against Spurs only a month later. This injury would keep him out for the rest of the season.
Despite only playing nine times in 2018/19, Yarmolenko has managed to improve on that last season. The forward played twenty-three times, this extra time on the pitch has seen his contribution increase. Yarmolenko scored five times and assisted one more during the 2019/20 campaign.
The Ukrainian, much like his first season, started the last season brilliantly. Goals against Bournemouth, Manchester United and Norwich were crucial in the club’s positive start to the season. The Hammers season curtailed at Bournemouth when Fabianski went down injured and not long after that Yarmolenko found himself injured again.
When the 30-year-old returned Pellegrini had been replaced by David Moyes, and he would have to fight his way back into the side. Yarmolenko finally managed to get a chance after lockdown and took it with both hands. The forward scored a crucial goal against Chelsea to give the Hammer’s survival bid the boost it needed.
Yarmolenko at times is seen as a one-trick, lazy and slow player, but at times has been one of the best players at the club. If the three-time Ukrainian player of the year had stayed fit, West Ham would be a much better side.
Dean Ashton
Almost certainly the most heart-breaking for West Ham fans. Dean Ashton was a hero at the club. The Englishman’s time at West Ham shows exactly how injuries can ruin a players career.
Signed in 2006 from Norwich for £7.5 million, a club-record fee at the time. Ashton hit the ground running for the Hammers, scoring eight goals in fourteen appearances. This included an FA Cup final goal, which sadly ended in defeat to Liverpool.
What followed this promising start was merely awful. Ashton missed the entirety of the next season (2006/07) because of an injury he picked up while away on England duty. Shaun Wright-Phillips cause the infamous ankle injury in a tackle during training.
After missing a year of football, the striker did make his return to the pitch for the 2007/08 season. Ashton was brilliant that season, he played thirty-one times and scored ten goals and assisted one more in the Premier League. These goals included a famous overhead kick at Old Trafford. Fans were hopeful the former Norwich man’s injury worries were behind him, and he would go on to become West Ham’s top Premier League goalscorer.
Sadly this was not the case. Ashton’s ankle gave up again during the 2008/09 season. The Englishman only managed to make five appearances in all competitions, and he still managed two goals and two assists despite playing in constant pain.
Ashton was forced to announce his retirement from football at the young age of twenty-six. The striker was robbed of his best footballing years. Ashton finished at the club having only played fifty-six times and scoring nineteen times in four years.
West Ham lost out off and on the pitch. Ashton’s wages and lack of any potential sale cost the club financially. More importantly, the club lost out on a striker who was touted as the next Geoff Hurst.
It is safe to say that if none of these players had suffered the injuries they had, West Ham would have had a lot more success. Who knows, maybe there could have been some sacred silverware.