Joey Beauchamp 1994 0 Apps 1994
Signed from Oxford for £1.2 Million Beauchamp was one of the more sort after players in the lower leagues and as such West Ham regarded his signing as something of a coup. The signing was a disaster for both the club and the playerending in the club transferring him to Swindon for £800,000, incurring a £400,000 loss.
Then manager Billy Bonds speaking some years later said of Beauchamp “He said he couldn’t settle at West Ham, that the club was too big for him. The boy was a total wimp,and it was a disaster for the club, what could I say to the kid? I couldn’t threaten him. I just told him to keep his head down because the fans weren’t going to be happy with him”
Beauchamp was put in an impossible position by his club Oxford he was essentially forced out of the club because Oxford needed the money to stay afloat, a quiet introvert Beauchamp didn’t really want to leave his home town club despite having the obvious talent to play higher up the League pyramid. After growing increasingly homesick and worn down with the commute around the M40 Beauchamp finally ended his stay at the Hammers after only 58 days.
Beauchamp stayed at Swindon for a season before returning to Oxford where he went onto become one of the clubs longest serving players and was voted the clubs player of the 90’s.
Post retirement Beauchamp has battled depression and drink problems but appeared to have overcome his issues and has been subsequently inducted to the Oxford United Hall of Fame.
Luis Boa Morte 2007-2011 75 Apps
Boa Morte was singed from Fulham for £5million in January 2007 in order to bolster West Ham’s fight for survival from a seemingly impossible position. Known and loved by Fulham fans for his work rate and direct style of play, Boa Morte always flattered to deceive in the claret and blue.
Boa Morte suffered a cruciate knee injury in the close season of 2009 meaning he missed the whole of the 2009-2010 and he always struggled to recreate his form from his Fulham days.
Boa Morte featured 28 times in the 2010-2011 playing his last game for the club in the 3-0 home defeat to Sunderland after relegation was confirmed. His contract was terminated by mutual consent in the summer of 2011.
A player of quality who came to the club with a big reputation but ultimately failed to deliver for the club.
Savio Nsereko 2009 1 Apps
A £9 million signing from Brescia in January 2009, Savio became West Ham’s record signing. The Ugandan born German youth international went onto to start one game before being sold to Fiorentina for €2.7 million less than 6 months later.
Savio has gone on to become known as one of West Ham’s strangest signings, he appeared to have very little pedigree to justify his signing on fee and his career post West Ham has been a gradual downward spiral.
Having moved to Fiorentina he failed to break into the first team and subsequently enjoyed loan spells in Italy with Bologna and Juve Stabia, in Germany with 1860 Munich and SpVgg Unterhaching and Chernomoret Burgas in Bulgaria. After struggling to settle and having to endure a number of personal problems Fiorentina announced that that Savio has been released due to breach of contract on Savio’s side.
Savio has gone on to play in Kazakhstan, Lithuania as well as Bulgaria before more recently signing for FC Pipinsried an amateur side in Germany.
One of the most bizarre incidents Savio was involved in was his arrest on a false kidnap claim in which he was reportedly attempted to extort €25,000 from his family by telling them he had been kidnapped and demanding a ransom.
Truly one of West Ham’s stranger signings who has struggled to settle at every club he has played for, amazing to think that this virtual unknown became West Ham’s record signing in 2009.
Loading poll…