West Ham boss confirms Everton beat Hammers to striker’s signature

West Ham boss confirms Everton beat Hammers to striker’s signature

West Ham have enjoyed a successful transfer market so far this summer, bringing Pablo Zabaleta, Joe Hart, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez into their ranks, but things could have been even better for the Hammers.

The East London giants have chased a number of talented assets throughout the summer, many of whom they’ve failed to land, and Slaven Bilic confirmed in an interview that the club were chasing the services of Spanish striker Sandro Ramirez this summer.

Former Barcelona youngster Ramirez was available for just over £5m this summer, with the 22-year-old set to leave Malaga, but the young forward rebuffed the advances of West Ham to instead sign a four-year deal with Ronald Koeman’s Everton.

Speaking to Croatian publication Slobodna Dalmacija, the Hammers boss said:



“Ramirez from Malaga came in, he was in Barcelona and we wanted him but he chose Everton. He is a quick player and has no traits like Lukaku. They lost his strength, but gained speed [in Ramirez].”

Signed in early July, it’s unknown whether West Ham would have still completed the signing of Hernandez from Bayer Leverkusen if they had already landed Ramirez from Malaga but the duo would have certainly bolstered the Hammers’ attacking options for the new season.

Considering West Ham haven’t moved for another striker since signing Hernandez, it seems the Hammers are content with their attacking options though and the majority of supporters would have certainly chosen the Mexican striker’s experience over the potential of Ramirez.

West Ham are linked with further signings before the close of the transfer window, notably a club-record deal for Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho, and Bilic will be hoping for a better performance this weekend against Southampton after being swept aside by Manchester United on the opening day.

The Hammers may find it difficult on the South Coast and in their visit to Newcastle United that follows, as both clubs present a strong challenge on home soil, but West Ham will hope to have points to their name before they return to the London Stadium after the early international break.