There was more Hammers horror for David Moyes and West Ham United as former striker Sebastien Haller outshines £150m rated Erling Haaland on club football’s biggest stage – the Champions League.
The £45m striker was labelled a flop and West Ham could not get him out of the door quick enough when they took a £25m hit to sell Haller to Ajax in January – just 18 months after signing him in a club record deal.
Haller divided opinion during his time at West Ham.
Many Hammers fans were glad to see the back of him after a frustrating spell in east London. Others feared he would leave and go on to prove his doubters wrong.
Haller had his doubters at West Ham and the man who mattered most was one of them
Well one of his biggest doubters was the man who mattered most at West Ham – Moyes.
And the Scot saw fit to sell Haller for just £20m and is yet to replace him after electing not to bring in back-up for Michail Antonio over the summer (Independent).
Moyes has been left rueing West Ham’s profligacy in some games this season. And he admitted it was a concern after the club’s win at Everton.
Eredivisie is no yardstick but there’s no hiding for West Ham from Haller’s Champions League heroics
Given how he split opinion among West Ham fans, it seems every time Haller scores for Ajax the debate over the club’s decision to sell him is reignited on social media.
Some West Ham fans have been quick to claim Haller’s success in the Dutch league since leaving is not a worthy barometer of his quality given the inferior standard of the Eredivisie.
But Champions League football is considered the elite level of the club game and Haller is proving he belongs there.
Former Hammer Haller became only the second player in history to score four goals on his Champions League debut when he helped Ajax beat Sporting Lisbon 5-1 in the opening game of this season’s competition.
Hammers horror as Haller outshines Haaland to do it again on biggest stage in Champions League thrashing
Another goal in the second game against Besiktas meant that the ex West Ham striker became the first player in the history of the Champions League to net five or more goals across his first two appearances in the competition.
And Haller was at it yet again on Tuesday night as he outshone coveted £150m rated striker Haaland by laying on two assists and scoring his customary goal in Ajax’s 4-0 thrashing of Borussia Dortmund.
It makes Haller the top scorer in the Champions League so far this season with six goals.
It takes his tally for Ajax since joining from West Ham to 22 goals in 31 games. A stark contrast to 14 in 54 for the Hammers.
The ship has sailed, there’s no point in crying over spilt milk, the horse has bolted.
Whatever analogy you want to use, Haller is gone, sold for peanuts and it is hard to take, especially as he has not been replaced.
It may well never have clicked for him at West Ham. And everyone is an expert after the event.
But you can’t help feel he was shipped out too soon.
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