According to The Athletic, all signs indicated that West Ham would sign Arnaut Danjuma before David Moyes pulled the plug on the deal.
What’s the story?
Well, earlier in the summer, the east Londoners made a move for the Netherlands international.
West Ham were willing to pay the £35m asking price set by Villarreal, and talks were held with Danjuma over a five-year contract worth £120,000-a-week.
However, The Athletic believe Moyes got cold feet over the deal when learning more about the Dutchman’s personality.
The Scot was informed that Danjuma wasn’t the most level headed during his two-year stint at Bournemouth, where he would often react negatively after a loss or during a poor run of form.
It is said that the Villarreal No.9’s camp are frustrated about question marks regarding their client’s character, although that tip off was enough for Moyes to cancel the deal.
West Ham eventually spent even more than the £35m asking price for Danjuma when signing Lucas Paqueta from Lyon in a deal worth £51m.
West Ham have found better than Arnaut Danjuma
In our view, Moyes pulling the plug on the Danjuma deal was a blessing in disguise for West Ham.
Had the Dutchman arrived at the London Stadium, it is highly unlikely that Paqueta would have also been signed.
The Brazil international is by far the better player, having been named Best Foreign Player for his efforts in France last season – beating Lionel Messi and Neymar to the award.
In truth, we aren’t quite sure how West Ham have got their hands on the South American, who is absolutely good enough to be playing Champions League football.
The same can be said about West Ham’s failed pursuit of Jesse Lingard, who eventually moved to Nottingham Forest – Paqueta may not have arrived if the England international returned to east London.
After a hectic summer, things seem to have worked out well for West Ham and Moyes.
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