It was just a footnote in The Times newspaper — blink and you’d have missed it. But hidden in an article criticising Nuno Espirito Santo was a striking revelation: West Ham have admitted they made a mistake.
It’s worth remembering that The Times are usually well briefed by the club, so it’s safe to assume they’ve spoken to top sources at the London Stadium.
“Nuno wants to sign a target man in January and has the backing of the West Ham board, who admit it was a mistake to only sign Callum Wilson in the summer,” the report claimed.
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Sullivan and Brady made a huge error by not signing a striker
Too Little, Too Late
Ordinarily, I’d say better late than never — but not this time. When Wilson was signed, Hammers bosses were busy blaming Graham Potter for not wanting another striker. That may or may not be true, but since when has a manager’s preference stopped this board from interfering in transfers?
It was common knowledge in the summer that Callum Wilson wasn’t physically capable of surviving a full Premier League campaign. West Ham also had enough medical data to suggest that Niclas Füllkrug would struggle to stay fit for long periods.
Back in April, a senior West Ham source told Claret & Hugh that a striker and a box-to-box midfielder were top transfer priorities. So it’s hardly a shock to anyone within the corridors of power that the Hammers now need a new centre-forward.
The real surprise is that the board genuinely believed they could navigate the first half of the season without one. It’s as if nobody noticed the rest of the Premier League moving forward while West Ham simply hoped to muddle through.