The signing of Patrice Evra last season was one that will not live long in the memory of West Ham United but it should.
That’s according to former Hammers assistant boss Stuart Pearce.
West Ham brought 37-year-old out of contract Evra in from the footballing wilderness last February after he served a ban following a clash with fans while at Marseille.
It was a signing that was mocked not only by fans of rival clubs but by West Ham supporters themselves.
There are several parallels with Derby County’s signing of veteran Ashley Cole this week.
That move has also raised question marks over Cole’s ability to perform. Cynics have also suggested Rams boss Frank Lampard is simply looking after an old friend.
Cole and Evra parralels are striking
Many saw the Evra signing as typical of West Ham owners David Sullivan and David Gold trying to do things on the cheap.
A month later with West Ham battling relegation under David Moyes, supporters invaded the pitch as part of angry protests against the owners.
Furious over broken promises in relation to transfer spending and the move to the London Stadium, a 3-0 home defeat to Burnley was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Nearly a year on that ugly incident has finally been put to bed. West Ham have been hit with a £100,000 fine.
The protests certainly struck a chord, though.
West Ham went out and splashed the cash to land title-winning manager Manuel Pellegrini and backed him with an unprecedented transfer splurge of £100 million.
For that, though, West Ham needed to be in the Premier League. And for that Moyes is owed much credit.
‘Evra helped keep West Ham up as much as Moyes’
But now Moyes’ assistant during his brief stint at West Ham, Pearce, has revealed just how important Evra was in keeping the club up.
Despite making just five appearances Evra’s influence was pivotal Pearce told Sky Sports’ The Debate.
“We done a similar thing last year (to Derby County signing veteran left-back Ashley Cole) at West Ham with Patrice Evra,” Pearce told The Debate.
“(Instant) respect from the rest of the group you know. Sometimes in the dressing room there’s not always a hierarchy if you like and sometimes when you walk through the door (you need it).
‘A very powerful influence’
“Patrice didn’t play a great deal but in the six months he was with us you could tell the respect that the rest of the group had.
“His words in the dressing room (were crucial and teammates listened). He almost had David Moyes’ back a lot of the time in pushing the words that David wanted to impose on the players, he backed that up all the time, consistently. Having a senior pro, with so much experience that has done so much in the game can be very powerful.
“Young players in particular hang off every word of a senior pro like that. Yes they will listen to their coach but anything that comes from a senior pro, with all those caps will be taken on board straight away. Derby will find that with Ashley, who is a great pro, I’ve worked with him.”
So there you have it from the horse’s mouth. Evra was not such a bad signing after all.
Derby fans will no doubt be hoping Cole will have a similar impact at Pride Park.
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