West Ham’s worst-ever deadline day signings: Jordan Hugill and South African flop
West Ham have had their fair share of awful signings over the years, with supporters quickly losing faith at the London Stadium.
Most notably, last summer’s transfer window was terrible as they signed the likes of Niclas Fullkrug, who has been a waste of wages.
The current transfer window is shaping up similarly, with Graham Potter struggling to secure his desired targets and facing the possibility of being left short.
With that being said, West Ham Zone goes through five of the worst deadline day signings in the Hammers’ history.
Simone Zaza (2016)
Zaza joined West Ham on a season-long loan from Juventus in 2016 with an obligation to buy if he made a certain number of appearances.
| Club | Points |
| 10. West Brom | 45 |
| 11. West Ham | 45 |
| 12. Leicester | 44 |
| 13. Stoke | 44 |
The striker failed to score a single goal in 11 appearances, and his loan was cut short in January.
West Ham ultimately dodged a bullet by not triggering his £21million buy clause, and he goes down as one of the worst strikers that the Hammers have seen in modern history.
Zaza went on to impress in Spain with Valencia before retiring at Torino in 2022.
Savio Nsereko (2009)
Signed for a club-record fee in 2009, Savio Nsereko was a promising young player, but he only made 10 appearances.
His time with the Hammers was marked by a lack of impact before he was sold just a few months later.
The former Germany under-20 international struggled for gametime throughout his career and played for 17 separate clubs.
At 36 years old, Nsereko is still working as a player-manager with German side BSC Sendling, where he balances his gametime with coaching the youth side.
Benni McCarthy
Benni McCarthy arrived in 2010 but struggled with fitness and never scored a goal in 14 appearances for the club.
McCarthy was a notable figure in the Premier League as he showed a lot of class for Blackburn Rovers during their successful spell between 2006 and 2010.
- McCarthy is one of nine South Africans to score in the Premier League
- He is the highest South African scorer in the top flight with 37 goals, 13 more than anyone else
The striker cost West Ham £2.5million but failed to ever live up to his value.
The South African striker’s contract was terminated by mutual consent in 2011, and he now manages Kenya’s national team.
Jordan Hugill (2018)
Jordan Hugill was signed from Preston North End in January 2018.
Despite being a proven goalscorer in the Championship, he made only a handful of appearances for West Ham and was unable to score before being sent out on a series of loans.
- Hugill made just three Premier League appearances for West Ham and failed to find the net
- He had previously scored 30 in 114 appearances for Preston
He appeared to be a smart signing for David Moyes’ side at the time, with the Scottish manager always making use of big physical strikers.
However, the £10million signing was poor for the Irons, and he had loan spells at Middlesbrough and Queens Park Rangers before joining Norwich in a move worth just £3million.
Hugill has since played for multiple teams in the second tier and now plays for League One side Rotherham, with his most memorable moment being his introductory video.
Emmanuel Emenike (2016)
Emmanuel Emenike made 13 league appearances for the Hammers but failed to find the back of the net.
He did manage to score two goals, which came in the FA Cup, and his overall contribution to the team’s attack was minimal.
Eminike was an example of West Ham’s deadline day desperation, and he spent just half a season on loan with the Hammers.
West Ham ultimately elected not to make his move permanent, and the Nigerian ended up leaving Fenerbahce permanently for Olympiacos before his playing career petered out.
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