Less than 12 months after Callum Wilson arrived amid much scrutiny at West Ham United, many of those who questioned his arrival were saddened to hear of his departure.
A last-gasp winner away at Spurs will have that effect on your reputation…
In late-May, the former England international announced he would be leaving the London Stadium upon the expiry of his contract. A disappointment to those who hoped Wilson would stick around and fire West Ham United to promotion at the first time of asking.
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In eleven Premier League starts, Callum Wilson scored seven goals.
Without his stoppage time winners against Everton and arch-rivals Tottenham, the relegation battle probably would have been decided long before the final day.
Now, in fairness, this was not a transfer without risk. Wilson missed a staggering 114 Newcastle matches in just five years due to a variety of fitness issues. West Ham would make sure to minimise those risks, however, via the structuring of his contract.
Something the club would be advised to replicate if indeed they do step up their interest in Brighton and Hove Albion’s one-time £20 million centre-back Adam Webster.
West Ham United could repeat Callum Wilson deal with Adam Webster
“The Wilson deal is very appearance and goal incentivised,” the top spokesman for West Ham’s owners exclusively told Hammers News in August of last year.
Simply put, if he wasn’t fit to play, then Wilson would not become a drain on the club’s resources.
If West Ham are keen to bring in ex-Brighton defender Adam Webster – and club insider ExWhuEmployee believes that they are – a similar arrangement should be on the cards.
Reported by West Ham Way, Ex claims that the 31-year-old has returned to the radar.
West Ham held talks with Brighton when Graham Potter, who coached Webster at the Amex, took charge a year-and-a-half ago. Potter labelled Webster one of the Premier League’s best ball-playing centre-halves during their time together on the South Coast.
The days when the likes of Jamie Carragher were claiming that Webster’s line-breaking passing from deep was ‘better than any other English central defender’, though, are a long time ago now. Four years to be specific, when talking about that Carra quote.
Webster did not play a single Premier League minute last season
Since the beginning of 2023/24, Webster has been forced to miss no fewer than 70 matches through injury. He did not kick a ball last season after undergoing knee surgery.
So if West Ham were to sign him, albeit as a free-agent, they would be signing a defender who hasn’t played competitively since Brighton thrashed Tottenham 4-1 thirteen months ago. A defender who will turn 32 in January.
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Callum Wilson’s heavily incentivised, relatively risk-free arrangement proved to be a masterstroke in the end. West Ham would probably be better off taking similar steps if they decide to take a punt on Adam Webster one year later.
Speaking to The Argus in April, though, Webster did paint a more positive picture when asked to provide an update on a knee problem which wrecked his final season as a Brighton player.
“I’m the strongest I have been probably the whole time I have been at Brighton in seven years,” he protested. “That’s obviously positive.
“Now it’s just about getting back out on the grass and getting that running back. I haven’t done it in a while. The first tackle. Everything like that. That’s the good challenge; The brain telling you it’s okay to do these things and with repetition it will keep improving.
“That’s the next step for me now.
“Hopefully in the next two or three months, that will be me back out there and this will be a distant memory.
“The worst bit is done now.”
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