West Ham United: Nikola Vlasic transfer decision justified despite £18.6m loss last summer
West Ham will feel that their decision to sell Nikola Vlasic last summer has been justified as the attacking midfielder continues to struggle in Serie A.
The Hammers signed the now-26-year-old for a fee of £26.8million in the summer of 2021, with £7.7million worth of add-ons over a five-year contract. [BBC Sport]
However, the Croatian quickly disappointed under the guidance of David Moyes, despite the excitement around the transfer, scoring just once in 31 appearances.
This led West Ham to send Vlasic out on loan to Torino during the 2022/23 campaign, where he hit the ground running, notching five goals and eight assists in all competitions, prompting the Serie A side to make the move permanent.
Despite only selling the midfielder for £8.2million last summer, as per Torino Granata, taking a significant hit on the original transfer fee, the Hammers will feel the decision was justified after his performances this season.
He has been unable to live up to displays from the previous campaign, with just three goals and two assists in 32 appearances, recording just one goal contribution since January – a 2-0 win over Udinese.
There is a huge disappointment over Vlasic. Torino are just six points outside of the European spots in Serie A, but the former West Ham man has been more of a disparagement than anything else.
Torino have won just three of their last 11 league matches, a run that includes a 3-2 loss to Empoli, and frustrating draws against relegation-bound Sassuolo and Salernitana.
West Ham United unlikely to miss Nikola Vlasic at London Stadium
With Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus now leading the attack at the London Stadium, West Ham will unlikely be missing the services of Vlasic.
The Croatian is yet another example of a transfer regret for the Hammers – something fans at the club have been accustomed to over the years.
However, the decision to rid of Vlasic last summer has certainly paid off, even despite the substantial loss in terms of the transfer fee.
Decisions have only bettered since then, with Declan Rice’s sale to Arsenal funding the payments for James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez and Kudus.
In other West Ham news, Moyes has been alerted to one new transfer target.
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