West Ham United were in the market for centre-halves when they sold Rio Ferdinand to Leeds for a then-Premier League record fee of £18 million back in 2000.
Ex-South Africa international Matthew Booth was a target of Harry Redknapp’s. He would see a dream move to East London scotched when Mamelodi Sundowns refused to budge on their £1.5 million asking price.
For Patrick Zwaanswijk, an iconic figure at FC Utrecht, the situation was a little different.
Did you know we once bid £20m for Bruno Fernandes? 💸 🇵🇹
Which former target do you WISH we'd signed?
Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 2-0 during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on February 7, 2026 in Manchester, United Kingdom.
Speaking toDe Telegraaf, a now-51-year-old Zwaanswijk remembers having a brief trial with West Ham United before he nailed down a starting spot at the Stadion Galgenwaard.
Patrick Zwaanswijk could have joined West Ham United
In the blinking of an eye, a young Zwaanswijk moved from amateur club Schoten 8 to one of the more influential clubs in Dutch football, via a stint in the fabled Ajax academy.
“I had been scouted by the iconic Tonny van der Linden and suddenly found myself face to face with [Utrecht] technical director Hans van Breukelen,” Zwaanswijk remembers with a chuckle.
Patrick Zwaanswijk - Soccer - A-League Grand Final - Western Sydney Wanderers v Central Coast Mariners
Photo by Steve Christo/Corbis via Getty Images
“I didn’t know what was happening to me. From Schoten 8 to FC Utrecht, via Ajax Saturday. Are you kidding me?”
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Zwaanswijk looked to be on his way out of Utrecht at one point. West Ham and Huddersfield Town both took an interest.
“Mark Wotte, the manager, wasn’t very fond of young players,” he adds. “When I wasn’t allowed to join the training camp during the winter break, but trial players were taken along, I went on trial at Huddersfield Town and West Ham United.
“Apparently, that shocked them so much at Utrecht that I was suddenly allowed to join the first-team when the league resumed…”
Nuno’s squad is certainly STRONGER three months on! ⚒️ 🆚 🐺
Who has been the biggest upgrade? Disasi for Kilman surely…
West Ham v Wolves XI on January 3rd, 2006
West Ham’s defence boosted by Dinos Mavropanos and Jean-Clair Todibo returns
Zwaanswijk would go on to play over 200 league matches for Utrecht, winning the Dutch cup both in 2003 and 2004. West Ham, meanwhile, reacted to Ferdinand’s sad but predictable departure by bringing in Rigobert Song – father of Alex – from Liverpool.
Christian Dailly would later arrive from Blackburn, alongside cult hero Hannu Tihinen.
Back to the present, West Ham should have Axel Disasi, Jean-Clair Todibo and Konstantinos Mavropanos back for the visit of Wolves on Friday night.
Nuno’s three first-choice centre-halves have all been dealing with injury scares, while Max Kilman’s disastrous performance against Leeds sent shivers down spines before a genuine ‘make or break’, potentially season-defining match at the London Stadium.
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