Sebastien Haller: Was West Ham’s record signing unusable or unused?

Here we are again – another West Ham striker that has come and gone. So goodbye, Sebastien Haller; the record signing that was both unusable and unused.

Honestly, I thought it would be different this time. At £45 million, Haller had to be good. Surely. The board had spent big and West Ham were going to win the league – or at least finish higher than 17th.

I didn’t know much about Haller apart from some decent Europa League outings. But, after watching a montage of “Haller’s best Frankfurt Moments” on YouTube – you know, the one – and having a little look at some pretty decent stats – I was hopeful and convinced that Haller was the one.

What I forgot, perhaps entranced by the techno sounds of “Haller’s Top Five Skills” was that this is West Ham – it never works out.

I’m 21 now. I say this for a reason, I promise. Gold and Sullivan took over in 2010. I was ten. The point is this. 10-20 is probably the stage where you actually start to watch football with more of an awareness than just your team plays in claret and blue.

In this period, West Ham have signed over 50 strikers. 50. From Benni McCarthy to Mido, Jordan Hugill, Marouane Chamakh and Nikica Jelavic. Remember Nene, Toni Martínez, John Carew, Albian Ajeti, Sam Baldock and Modibo Maiga. What about Simone Zaza, Jonathan Calleri and Lucas Perez. Or Victor Obinna and Demba Ba. Even Robbie Keane and Javier Hernandez had a go and failed. That list now includes a record signing.

Haller, who, just 18 months ago was one of the most sorts after strikers in Europe, is set to be cashed-in for just £25 million (a loss of about £20 million).

The Hammers board have sanctioned his departure to Ajax –  a club managed by Erik ten Hag, who previously coached Haller, whilst at FC Utrecht.

Lazy or misunderstood – the only agreement on Haller is that he has polarised the Hammer’s faithful beyond belief. West Ham twitter has become Haller this or Haller that for the last year or so. We can all agree it didn’t work, what we can’t agree on is why?

So, let’s break it down.  Make a cup of tea, have a seat and prepare for some scrambled thoughts on West Ham’s latest striking horror-show – Sebastien Haller. The record signing who was both unusable and unused.