When Slaven Bilic shipped Enner Valencia out on loan to Everton at the start of the season there were a few giggles from the Hammers end.
Enner Valencia has proved his worth at Everton this season
But fast forward nine months and it seems the Toffees have had the last laugh.
Signed in a panic on deadline day by Ronald Koeman, Valencia was the hastily arranged back-up plan after Moussa Sissoko rejected them for Tottenham Hotspur.
Not only did Everton appear to dodge a bullet on Sissoko, their much maligned move for Valencia has actually worked out well for everyone except West Ham.
While the Ecuadorian had not pulled up any trees last season, he spent long spells injured.
He was shipped out on loan despite West Ham failing to land any of the big name marquee striker signings the fans had been promised, ending up instead with loan flops Simone Zaza and Jonathan Calleri and the rarely used youngster Ashley Fletcher.
While Valencia has had to make do with his fair share of bench warming at Goodison Park with Premier League top scorer Romelu Lukaku ahead of him in the pecking order, he has been influential at important times.
So much so that the Toffees, who are currently 6th in the table – nearly a whole half a division above 14th placed West Ham – are reportedly considering making his move permanent.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic cancelled Simone Zaza’s loan halfway through
With West Ham’s woeful transfer failings and injuries Valencia probably would have been a regular starter for much of the season had he remained.
Many supporters feel his electric pace on the break would have been valuable on their larger London Stadium pitch, where the club has won just six of their 17 league games this season.
Valencia’s power from free-kicks would also have been a useful weapon given Dimitri Payet’s departure.
Jonathan Calleri replaced Valencia at West Ham
For Bilic there is no hiding from the fact Valencia was loaned out at the wrong time in the mistaken belief that he had recruited better in Zaaa, Andre Ayew and Callieri.
Zaza’s loan was cancelled in January with the Italian barely registering a shot on target let alone a goal while Bilic and the club once again made the near fatal error of relying on the injury prone Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho who have both predictably spent more time on the treatment table than the pitch this season.
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