Ranked: Callum Wilson’s place in West Ham’s worst 10 striker signings revealed
West Ham are infamous for their serious lack of clinical striker signings over the years, and Graham Potter appears to have added another to the list.
While Niclas Fullkrug has experienced a very slow start to life in East London since his £27million move last summer [BBC Sport], it is far too early to judge the 32-year-old German.
Michail Antonio is currently a free agent despite a miraculous recovery after being involved in a traffic accident, and Graham Potter has been looking to replace the 83-goal forward this summer.
Now, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein (2 August), the Hammers have agreed a deal to sign Callum Wilson on a one-year contract, which includes a heavily incentive-based salary.
Supporters are extremely worried by the player’s recent injury record, having started just 11 Premier League matches over the last two seasons.
Football Insider has now ranked him in West Ham’s worst striker signings during the Premier League era.
10. Sebastien Haller (July 2019 – Jan 2021)
With 14 goals in his two seasons at the London Stadium, fans were aware of just how talented Haller was, but after arriving on a record deal of £45million [Sky Sports], more was expected of the Ivory Coast international.
The 31-year-old has enjoyed a stellar career since leaving East London, even overcoming an awful cancer diagnosis in 2022, but he makes the list after two very short seasons in England.
9. Gianluca Scamacca (July 2022 – Aug 2023)
Notching eight goals in 27 appearances in his only season at West Ham, his stats would have you believing that he was a favoured figure by the fanbase, who were desperate for a centre-forward.
However, his time in the Premier League was far from ideal, and despite signing a £35.5million five-year deal worth £38.5m [Sky Sports], he was quickly shipped back to Serie A, where he remains with Atalanta.
8. Callum Wilson (Aug 2025 – present)
While the 33-year-old may yet prove fans wrong, the veteran has spent more time on the sidelines than on the pitch in recent seasons, adding yet another injury-struck player to Potter’s squad.
The Hammers have covered their own backs with the type of contract being offered, and with 88 Premier League goals to his name, he will be given a chance to prove his doubters wrong next season.
7. Jonathan Calleri (Aug 2016 – June 2017)
Arriving on loan from Uruguayan second division outfit Deportivo Maldonado, it was barely a surprise to see Calleri struggle during his season-long loan in the Premier League.
Slaven Bilic was confident of producing a talented player out of the Argentine, but with just one goal in 12 months, he has been quickly forgotten about at the London Stadium.
6. Emmanuel Emenike (Jan 2016 – June 2016)
Emenike has been all over Europe, also featuring for Fenerbahce, Al-Ain, Olympiacos, and Westerlo, and with two goals in 16 appearances, his spell in England might have been the worst of them all.
The Nigerian had a huge presence in the final third. However, he struggled to do anything with his attributes. Despite Champions League experience under his belt, he was a huge disappointment.
5. Lucas Perez (Aug 2018 – June 2019)
Now at PSV Eindhoven, the Spaniard is quite the journeyman in the sport. After 12 goal contributions in 21 games for Arsenal, and a superb loan spell in between, fans were confident about Perez’s arrival.
Signing for £4m [The Standard], it was difficult to get a bad deal out of the Gunners, and despite six goals in 19 games, that was all the featuring he did before leaving for La Liga the summer after.
4. Albian Ajeti (Aug 2019 – Aug 2020)
12 games. Zero goals. Zero assists. Possibly one of the worst records to grace the Premier League, and with £8m being splashed on his signature [BBC Sport], there is little argument against his inclusion.
He will be a forgotten figure in many fans’ minds, and those same fans will be surprised to see him still playing over in Switzerland for Basel.
3. Simone Zaza (Aug 2016 – Jan 2017)
Going viral for his horrific penalty at Euro 2016, the Italian international was an incredible let-down at the London Stadium, failing to score a single goal during his six months at the club.
While he proved himself in his next move to Valencia, the damage was done, and he now goes down as one of the worst signings in the Hammers’ history.
2. Jordan Hugill (Jan 2018 – Aug 2020)
Arriving in East London on a £10m deal [BBC Sport], supporters were extremely excited about the then-25-year-old signing, but he made just three appearances during his time with West Ham.
With seven goals for Middlesbrough and 15 goals for QPR, both on season-long loans, fans became more baffled as to why the transfer did not work out for the Hammers. He clearly found his level.
1. Xande Silva (Aug 2018 – Aug 2021)
Also making appearances for Nottingham Forest in the Championship, the left-winger-turned-striker failed to stamp his mark in England, making just two senior appearances for the Irons.
After a short spell in France, Silva ended up in the MLS with Atlanta City, but now plies his trade for St Loius City, where he is also struggling to hit the back of the net.