A pundit has claimed that ex Hammers manager David Moyes told him West Ham pulled out of deal for a Euros star.
When West Ham sold Gianluca Scamacca last summer after just one season fans thought it could mean only one thing.
With Danny Ings proving the latest in a long line of forwards to flop, Hammers fans believed selling Scamacca would lead to the club signing a new forward.
Especially as ageing Michail Antonio was the only other striker at West Ham.
There was anger among some supporters when last summer came and went without a new forward being signed.
That was despite West Ham being linked with a plethora of them.
In the end David Moyes insisted he wanted to try Jarrod Bowen as West Ham’s main striker.
Moyes bemoaned dearth of striker talent
That experiment had mixed results. Against certain opposition, it proved effective. But what West Ham gained for a small number of matches, they lost a lot not having Bowen out on the right.
Before the January window, after a win at Tottenham, Moyes told Les Ferdinand live on TV that he was trying to find a new number nine for the Hammers.
The Scot said that was proving difficult due to there being – in his opinion – a dearth striking talent available across world football.
But things could have been very different it seems.
Over the years Moyes has earned the moniker ‘dithering Dave’ due to his hesitancy and the time he takes regarding signings.
It came from his time at Everton, stuck with him at Man Unit and there was plenty of evidence of it at West Ham too.
Not that his cautious approach to transfers was always wrong. There have been plenty of players linked with West Ham who Moyes turned down only to be proved spot on as their careers failed to progress.
Pundit: West Ham pulled out of deal for Euros star
Last year, as West Ham started their hunt for a new striker, then Werder Bremen star Niclas Fullkrug was being linked.
Bremen were being forced to sell due to mounting debts.
And selling Fullkrug to West Ham was an option according to German publication BILD at the time.
There were question marks over his age given he had turned 30.
But as a late bloomer and German international, Fullkrug was proving one of the most potent finishers in Europe.
As West Ham dallied, Borussia Dortmund stepped in and signed Fullkrug for around £12m all in.
He did not disappoint, scoring 17 goals and laying on 11 assists in 38 starts for Dortmund as they reached the Champions League final.
Now it’s emerged he could have been banging the goals in as a much-needed focal point at the London Stadium.
Pundit Alan Shearer has been joined by ex Hammers boss Moyes in the BBC Sport studio for some of the Euro 2024 games.
Powerful and hard-working Fullkrug has impressed with two goals for the host nation Germany thus far.
Moyes snubbed signing Fullkrug before 28-goal and assist season
One of them an absolutely unerring finish in a 5-1 demolition of Moyes’ countrymen Scotland.
And Shearer has revealed that Moyes told him he made a big mistake by pulling out of a deal for Fullkrug last summer.
Shearer made the revelation when speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast.
“I was speaking to David Moyes about him (Fullkrug) as well,” Shearer said.
“And he was saying that they had a look at him at West Ham.
“But they just thought he was missing one or two things.
“But for the last sort of six months, he sort of reviewed it and thought, maybe they got that one wrong.”
Fullkrug could easily have made the difference in helping the Hammers qualify for Europe last season.
Perhaps in the long run it will a good thing, though, given Moyes has departed and new head coach Julen Lopetegui may not have fancied him.
It’s a clean slate now for Lopetegui who will, if reports are to be believed, will definitely be signing a striker.
Youssef En-Nesyri, who he managed at Sevilla, looking the most likely right now.
Fans can watch the video below to make their own minds up as to whether Moyes did indeed make a mistake.