West Ham boss David Moyes and Sebastien Haller were certainly not a match made in heaven, that goes without saying.
Manuel Pellegrini brought the Ivory Coast international to the London Stadium from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer of 2019 for around £45 million (BBC).
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Haller joined the Hammers with a huge reputation but unfortunately for him and us, he failed miserably in the famous Claret and Blue.
The striker bagged just 14 goals and three assists in 54 games for West Ham (Transfermarkt).
The 27-year-old was moved on swiftly to Ajax by David Moyes in January of 2021 for around £20 million (The Times).
And Haller has been truly sensational for the Dutch giants, racking up 41 goals and 15 assists in just 51 games so far (Transfermarkt). He has been absolutely on fire in the Champions League this season too and is currently the top scorer in the competition with 10 goals to his name.
Haller lifts lid on West Ham struggles with Moyes at the helm
When the Ivorian was at West Ham, it was clear to see that he just didn’t suit our system at all.
Haller was completely isolated up front on his own and he didn’t have the hunger nor the physical attributes needed to chase down lost causes in the channels.
The Ajax ace is the kind of striker who thrives when he has gifted technical players operating close to him in and around the 18-yard box. That just wasn’t the case at West Ham under David Moyes.
Haller spoke exclusively to The Guardian, and admitted that it was just a case off the wrong club at the wrong time for him:
“I was brought in by Manuel Pellegrini but then David Moyes came and we got in a situation where we were … like trapped together. I was playing in a system that I didn’t really enjoy. Moyes preferred someone like [Michail] Antonio up front, and I’m super happy he [Antonio]’s doing so well; I am for all the guys at West Ham. I had a good time there with them but I was also really mad at the situation, [with] the way we were playing, the way I was playing, the way I was feeling.”
That’s fair enough.
The frustrating thing is that more attempts weren’t made to get the best out of Haller while he was at the London Stadium.
He is clearly a top-class player when his team play to his strengths.
One thing’s for sure, we shouldn’t have sold him 13 months ago without an immediate replacement lined up. It’s a joke of a situation that West Ham have had only one striker for more than a year now.
Haller might not have been to Moyes’s taste but he would have offered the Scot another option had we kept hold of him.
What’s done is done though and what matters now is bringing a world-class striker to the London Stadium in the summer – preferably one who suits Moyes’s preferred playing style!
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