When Hammers News exclusively revealed West Ham were going to be signing Callum Wilson in the summer it is fair to say the reaction was scathing.
Many Hammers fans were up in arms about West Ham moving to sign ageing, injury-prone Callum Wilson on a free transfer from Newcastle.
Wilson is a client of Will Salthouse, who has been the preferred agent of West Ham chief David Sullivan over the years.
Salthouse is close with Sullivan and his sons Dave and Jack.
Fans have been critical of the agent’s influence on West Ham’s recruitment, citing it as an example of why the club is poorly run.
West Ham have announced groundbreaking transfer plans since the summer.
West Ham move for Salthouse client Wilson caused controversy
But Wilson is proving that some agent-led deals are still worth doing from time to time.
There had been no love lost between Wilson and West Ham fans over the years.
Besides scoring against West Ham more than any other team, Wilson also enjoyed antagonising Hammers fans.
With Sullivan unpopular with large sections of the fanbase, the move for Wilson was seen as a cheap cop out by the club.
In reality West Ham needed to go out and sign a young, pacy forward as well as a veteran like Wilson.
Had the Hammers done that then there would not have been such an initial backlash to the former Bournemouth star’s arrival in east London.
West Ham fans will give most a fair chance, though, and they have done that with Wilson too.
He has responded in kind, leaving some Hammers supporters eating humble pie so far.
The striker has four goals in nine appearances this season, only four of those being starts.
He notched two against his old side in West Ham’s 2-2 draw at the Vitality.
Wilson makes surprise admission about West Ham move
Wilson’s goals have made theories he is past it or looking for one last pay-day look silly.
Now Wilson has made a surprise admission about his controversial West Ham move and it’s great news.
It is easy to forget the anger that surrounded Wilson’s arrival at the London Stadium.
Fans were right to question the signing given Wilson had spent the equivalent of three full 38-game seasons out injured in his five years at Newcastle.
Magpies boss Eddie Howe has bemoaned the loss of Wilson all season.
That tells its own story about Wilson’s qualities as a player and person.
Hammers fans have already seen Wilson is not there to simply squeeze another year out of the Premier League teat on Premier League wages.
Living in London, big wages, staying in the Premier League and Salthouse’s links to the Sullivans were all cited as probable motivations behind Wilson signing for the Hammers.
But the real reason he joined West Ham may surprise many.
Wilson’s brace against the Cherries means he is now just eight goals off the 100 mark in the Premier League.
The Hammers striker is aiming to join the likes of former West Ham stars Frank Lampard, Jermain Defoe and Teddy Sheringham by becoming the seventh player associated with the club to hit a ton in the Premier League.
Forget money, Wilson joined West Ham to make history
With 92 to his name, Wilson says the real reason he joined West Ham was to try and get to 100 goals knowing he would be getting game time in east London.
“These are big names that I grew up watching (players in the Premier League 100 club),” Wilson told West Ham’s website.
“So to be surpassing them is obviously a nice, nice feeling, and to continue doing that will be nice as well.
“Motivation for me is probably getting into the 100 club, which is why I wanted to stay in the Premier League, so I would say it was probably the main factor in my decision (in moving to West Ham), really, to be honest.
“When I had options in the Premier League, it was which team suited me the best to try and achieve that and which would have been a great match for us both. And that’s why I’m here at West Ham.”
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Clearly that is great news for West Ham.
If Wilson is motivated to get to the 100-goal mark then the Hammers have a hungry player looking to get his tally to at least 12 goals this season.
It is refreshing to hear the move was not motivated or influenced by his agent or money – but instead the love of goals and desire to get to that magic number.
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