David Moyes tried to sign Jesse Lingard’s Man United teammate Odion Ighalo in double deal as striker explains Hammers snub

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David Moyes tried to bring striker Odion Ighalo to West Ham United from Manchester United in a double deal with Jesse Lingard in January.

That’s according to Ighalo himself in an interview with Elegbete TV Sports.

West Ham sold Sebastien Haller to Ajax for £20million in the winter window, leaving Moyes with injury-prone Michail Antonio as his only senior striker.

The Hammers were linked with a host of forwards. But in the end Moyes elected to bank the money and sign Lingard on loan instead.

West Ham tried to sign Lingard teammate in Man United double deal in January

It proved an inspired piece of business as Lingard scored nine goals and laid on four assists – and several pre-assists – in 16 games to help West Ham to the club’s best ever Premier League points haul and into the Europa League.

But now it turns out Moyes did try to sign a striker after all by offering Ighalo – a former West Ham target when he was scoring goals for Watford – the chance to stay in the Prem when he was leaving Old Trafford in January.

The 32-year-old Nigerian told Elegbete TV Sports he snubbed West Ham because he had already fulfilled his dreams by playing for Man United.

Striker reveals why he snubbed West Ham

“I got an offer from two Premier League teams – West Ham and West Brom – who were ready to pay but what am I going to do in the Premier League again after playing for Manchester United?” Ighalo told Elegbete TV Sports.

“What other team do I want to play for to fulfill my dream? I have already fulfilled my dream, played in Watford and did well, played in Manchester United.”

Many West Ham fans were angry when Moyes chose not to sign a forward with the Hammers in the hunt for a Champions League spot.

There was a spell when Antonio was out injured but Lingard helped West Ham cope with that loss.

Would Ighalo have helped secure the win that would have got Hammers into the Champions League?

So whether signing Ighalo would have helped West Ham get that solitary extra win that would have secured Champions League football is debatable.

In the end it turned out to be the lack of cover for Declan Rice that was the greater problem.

Having said that, finishing sixth and securing Europa League group stage football for the first time was still an absolutely fantastic achievement. Now West Ham fans have the draw to look forward to.

West Ham will start turning their attentions to finally filling that striker void with Tammy Abraham looking the most likely candidate.