Axel Disasi
Axel Disasi
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He arrived in January with the Hammers having kept just one clean sheet all season, only for him to inspire three in his first four appearances in claret and blue.
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The 28-year-old went on to develop a solid partnership alongside Konstantinos Mavropanos in the centre of Nuno Espirito Santo's defence.
But after 17 appearances and one goal, Disasi was still unable to prevent the club from succumbing to relegation from the Premier League.
It was a conclusion that seemingly all but ended the Hammers' chances of signing the Chelsea outcast permanenly.
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The former Monaco star went on to reveal how much he enjoyed playing for West Ham in a farewell social media post.
But with under two weeks before the start of the new Championship season, it appears the Hammers are on the verge of pulling off what everyone thought was impossible just a few weeks ago.
West Ham agree Disasi deal
According to Simon Phillips via his YouTube channel, West Ham have agreed a deal with Chelsea to sign Disasi permanently.
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What's more, they have also agreed personal terms with the centre-back.
The agreement includes a buyout clause which can be activated if West Ham do not achieve promotion this season.
However, Disasi has asked for a week or two before agreeing to sign just in case he receives a better offer elsewhere.
So a deal has been agreed in principle on all sides, it's just a case of waiting to see if anyone else wants to match it and offer the defender the chance to remain in the Championship.
It's a position no one expected West Ham to be in at this stage of the window.
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Disasi will definitely leave Stamford Bridge this summer but relegation to the Championship made signing him a lot harder.
Had West Ham survived the drop, it would be fair to assume the France international will already be a permanent West Ham player.
But relegation complicated things.
Disasi still weighing up his options
Disasi rightly had concerns about dropping down to the Championship, even if it meant returning to the club which allowed him to revive his career in England.
Indeed, it's perfectly reasonable to assume a deal has been made possible by the fact no other clubs have made serious offers to both Chelsea and Disasi.
Likely, Disasi's lack of options has almost left him no choice but to give serious consideration to a London Stadium return.
Now it's just a case of waiting and hoping that no one else comes in at the last minute to scupper the deal.
There are reports that Crystal Palace are considering an offer, which will be bad news for West Ham if they do.
Oliver Glasner's side will be able to offer Disasi Premier League and Europa League football, and that will be a far more attractive proposition to the one West Ham are currently offering.
So we all have to wait patiently and hope Palace, or any other club, don't come in and ruin the party.
If they don't, West Ham will have one of, if not the, best centre-back partnerships in the Championship and will hugely boost their chances of promotion.
Do you think we can pull this off? Is this just agent talk trying to get other clubs to make a move? Let us know in the comments below....