Last night, Sebastien Haller had West Ham fans talking about him again after scoring against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
It comes nearly a year after David Moyes sold him to Ajax in a £20.2m deal, despite Manuel Pellegrini spending £45m on the Ivorian.
While it was terrible business for the Hammers in that respect, Het Parool journalist Henk Spaan believes it was one of Ajax’s best deals ever.
What’s the story?
Well, the Dutch journalist believes Marc Overmars – Director of Football at Ajax – has negotiated his best deal ever, at West Ham’s expense.
The 27-year-old has scored 25 goals in 36 games for Ajax, while also providing 11 assists.
For West Ham, Haller scored just 14 goals in 54 appearances.
Spaan is making quite the claim, as Overmars was responsible for bringing Frenkie de Jong, David Neres and others to Amsterdam in bargain deals.
It wasn’t the best business the east Londoners will ever do, although it was certainly necessary as the Ivorian was struggling under David Moyes.
Good to see Sebastien Haller thriving away from West Ham
It was a deal that worked out for all parties, in the end.
Yes, West Ham took a heavy financial hit.
However, they have since reinvested that money towards deals for Kurt Zouma and Said Benrahma, two players who are much better options for Moyes at the London Stadium.
Haller is shining in the Champions League, and Moyes has led West Ham into the Europa League after offloading the 27-year-old.
Despite the £24.8m loss, it seems everyone involved in this deal has enjoyed a happy ending.
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