While West Ham United have largely stayed away from the EFL market, the FA Cup-winning success of London neighbours Crystal Palace is proof of the value that can be found below the Premier League.
The man who scored the winner at Wembley – Ebere Eze – joined from Queens Park Rangers half a decade ago. Adam Wharton, the man many feel will be England’s next £100 million footballer, arrived after honing his considerable talents at Blackburn Rovers.
Crystal Palace technically signed captain Marc Guehi from Chelsea but that still came off the back of a stellar loan spell with Swansea City. And then there is Michael Olise; a staggering 17 goals and 21 assists during a remarkable debut season at Bayern Munich.
Now, West Ham’s failure to sign Viktor Gyokeres is a mistake which continues to rankle amongst the London Stadium faithful. Prolific at Coventry City and now devastating at Sporting Lisbon, Gyokeres seemed open to joining the Hammers at the time as well. Surely he would have been the man to snap that so-called ‘striker curse’.
Yet, for the most part, West Ham United have stayed well clear from the Championship’s best.
In fact, they have signed only one player from a Championship club since Said Benrahma arrived from promotion-seeking Brentford back in 2020.
And Hammers News understands that the struggles of Flynn Downes in claret and blue have chairman David Sullivan wary of delving once again into a market so many rival clubs – Crystal Palace being the prime example – have regularly hit the jackpot.
David Sullivan wary of Championship signings at West Ham United
West Ham paid £12 million to sign Downes during the summer of 2022.
A reliable if not exactly stand-out talent over in South Wales, Downes would make only seven Premier League starts before returning to the Championship on loan at Southampton. A loan deal which would become permanent the following summer, once The Saints secured their top-flight return.
Now, with Downes once again struggling to make the grade amongst English football’s elite, the former Ipswich Town and Luton man is in danger of falling between the cracks. Too good for the Championship, perhaps, but not quite of Premier League quality.
Now, Hammers News can reveal, via football correspondent Graeme Bailey, that the Flynn Downes deal has contributed to Sullivan’s unease about investing in second-tier talents.
Though when you consider how quickly Eze, Olise and Wharton adapted to life in the top-flight – not to mention Georginio Rutter, James Maddison, Archie Gray and Ollie Watkins – this does feel like an opportunity squandered.
Crysencio Summerville is yet to translate his Leeds form onto West Ham
Then again, in Sullivan’s defence, Crysencio Summerville did not exactly live up to his £30 million price-tag when joining from Leeds United either. The former Feyenoord winger was the reigning Championship Player of the Year too, so few would have imagined just how little impact he would eventually make in claret and blue.
Crysencio Summerville’s season ended in January after a serious hamstring injury, meanwhile. He will be praying for a return to full fitness well in advance of the next campaign.
In the meantime, West Ham could yet make a move for two players who stood out in the second-tier last term, albeit the risks associated with signing Burnley duo CJ Egan-Riley and Josh Brownhill are reduced considerably with both available on free transfers.
Last week, Burnley issued an update on Egan-Riley and Brownhill, confirming that neither player has yet agreed terms on an extension.
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