It would be easy to say that Adama Traore joining West Ham United, and reuniting with his former Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Nuno Espirito Santo, was an inevitability during the January transfer window.
But there was a spell when it was anything but that. Inevitable, that is.
Fulham were demanding £7 million a few weeks ago. Quite the fee, for a winger who had started only one Premier League all season, and one who was due to become a free-agent in July.
Adama Traore thinks West Ham will STAY up 👀 How much more confident are you now that we’ve signed him?
Hit the comments on how you actually feel, I know he divides opinion 😂
West Ham United, to their credit, would not be bullied. Despite the fact that Nuno Espirito Santo immediately made Traore a priority after taking over from Graham Potter, the Hammers board stuck to their guns and would not be drawn into paying over the odds.
Adama Traore was finally confirmed as a West Ham player on Wednesday lunchtime. His squad number, and the eventual price-tag, have also now been revealed.
Adama Traore emulates Jarrod Bowen as West Ham United reveal his shirt number
Having donned the number 11 at Fulham, Traore will take the number 17 at the London Stadium.
It goes without saying that the Spain international will hope to do better in that shirt than some of the wingers who have come before him.
Luis Guilherme was sold to Sporting Lisbon this month after barely making his mark on English football. Maxwel Cornet is out of sight and very much out of mind, meanwhile, on loan at Genoa for a second stint in Serie A.
Interestingly, captain Jarrod Bowen was initially handed the number 17 shirt following his own mid-season arrival, from Hull City in 2021. Other previous wearers of the kit include Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez, Joey O’Brien and legendary goalkeeper Shaka Hislop.
Fabrizio Romano, meanwhile, reports that West Ham and Fulham eventually shook hands on a fee of just £2 million. The last laugh goes to David Sullivan, then, as he secures himself a £5 million discount.
Traore leaves Fulham for £2m and his Premier League record last season makes for promising reading
Who knows, while Traore has his critics, this could be a bargain in the making. Traore provided seven Premier League assists in just 18 starts last season after all.
Currently, El Hadji Malick Diouf is the only member of Nuno’s squad to record more than three in 2025/26.
Adama Traore’s critics may be getting it all WRONG! ⏩ 👟
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“Amazing, amazing, I’m so happy to be here,” Traore said during his unveiling. “So happy to be here to help the team the maximum I can, show my quality and help the best I can.”
“I know many things. I’ve been seeing West Ham for a long time, you know. It’s a massive club, it’s a massive fan base. I’ve been watching since I was young, when I watched films about West Ham!
“I know about the game, about the fans and the passion of it. I used to watch films with my friends since I was young when I was in Barcelona to watch the West Ham fans and how passionate they were. I’m so happy to be here.
“I think it’s very, very special for me because I remember these young times with my friends, singing after watching the films, so I’m very happy and it’s very special.”
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