West Ham United were victim of unfortunate timing when a deal to bring now-Brentford playmaker Mikkel Damsgaard slipped through their grasp in the summer of 2021.
A rising star of Serie A and Sampdoria this time five years ago, it was even reported at one point that West Ham were at the front of the queue to bring the baby-faced Denmark international to the Premier League [Le Repubblica].
David Moyes wanted a new attacking midfielder at the time, and he might well have landed himself one of the best on the market had things worked out differently.
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Flash forward to the present day and Mikkel Damsgaard is preparing to travel to London Stadium as a visiting player. West Ham United host capital city neighbours Brentford with a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals up for grabs.
And, with the Danish dynamo set to arrive in his best form of the campaign, what better time to reflect on a transfer which, at one point, appeared to be within the Hammers’ grasp.
West Ham United got unlucky in pursuit of Brentford’s Mikkel Damsgaard
That La Repubblica report came in February 2021.
In the space of a few short months, Damsgaard’s reputation – and his price-tag – sky-rocketed. He was one of the breakout talents of the delayed 2021 European Championships. Damsgaard’s thunderous free-kick in the semi-final against England was the personal highlight, but that was just one of three goal contributions the youngster recorded in five appearances in front of a much broader audience.
Before the tournament began, reports indicated that Sampdoria were looking for around £15 million euros. By the time Gareth Southgate’s side mounted a Wembley comeback to render Damsgaard’s wondergoal one of the greatest ‘what-might’ve-been’ moments in Scandinavian football, it would have taken a colossal fee to convince madcap Samp president Massimo Ferrero to let him go.
“I expected him to be this good at the European Championship,” Ferrero said in July of that year. “But he is not for sale.
“Either they bring something that makes [sporting director Carlo] Osti excited, or he won’t be sold. It’s no longer the same as before when one offer arrived, and we would sell the player. Now we want to make another stand. We want to keep the footballer, we want to enjoy him.”
Injuries saw Brentford snap up Damsgaard for a bargain fee
Unfortunately for Sampdoria, they would not ‘enjoy’ Damsgaard for long.
He suffered a serious thigh injury only three months into 2021/22. A season that was supposed to cement Damsgaard’s status as one of the great up-and-coming midfielders of the European game instead saw him spend half of it on the treatment table.
By the time Brentford came calling in August 2022, Damsgaard’s valuation had dipped substantially. But so too had the interest.
The Bees snapped him up for a cut-price £15 million. West Ham had shifted their attention elsewhere, to more glamorous targets; fully focused on luring Lucas Paqueta to East London.
They would complete a club-record deal for the Brazil international some 19 days after Damsgaard arrived in the capital.
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Dane’s in top form as Lucas Paqueta struggles at Flamengo
Further injury issues initially restricted his early involvement in red and white. As Paqueta inspired West Ham to Conference League glory, Damsgaard ended his debut Premier League campaign with nine starts, zero goals and no assists.
With 34 starts, two goals and ten assists in 2024/25, though, a fully fit Damsgaard quickly set about making up for lost time. Now, on the back of one of the finest individual performances of the campaign in a thrilling 4-3 win at Burnley, West Ham are facing their old target at the peak of his powers.
Lucas Paqueta is ‘suffering’ back in Brazil with a now-managerless Flamengo. Head coach Filipe Luis was sacked this week, and Paqueta has come under fire at a club struggling to effectively accommodate their ‘Galactico’ addition.
The way Damsgaard has bounced back from a two-year injury nightmare to become one of the most creative talents in English and European football, though, makes him an example worth following for any footballer facing adversity.
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