West Ham United's French striker Sebastien Haller chases the ball during the English League Cup second round football match between West Ham United and Charlton Athletic at The London Stadium in east London on September 15, 2020. (Photo by Adam Davy / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by ADAM DAVY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
According to the Guardian, Sebastien Haller has left West Ham to join Ajax for £20million, with the Hammers taking a £25m loss.
Haller joined West Ham in 2019 after a stellar season with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt for a sum of £45million. However, the French finisher has had a disappointing outing so far and has failed to live up to the expectations since making his big-money move to England.
The 26-year-old striker managed to score just 10 times despite appearing in 48 league games. This has now forced the East London side to offload their expensive player in order to cut costs and search for better options.
Lack of a consistent goalscorer has hurt the Hammers badly as they have managed just 24 goals from 17 league outings this term. This has seen the club slip to 10th place in the league. If the current trend continues, it will affect the side even more in the long run.
Though Haller was far from impressive this season, it seems too early to judge his performances. Prior to his arrival in England, the Frenchman was a star performer with all the sides that he played with previously.
Haller, who spent two seasons with Frankfurt before joining the East London side, played a total of 77 matches, scoring an impressive 33 goals and assisting 19 times. He was also a star performer at former side FC Utrecht, where he racked up a massive 51 goals and 17 assists from a total of 98 matches across all competitions.
Despite his poor displays this season, Haller’s numbers in the past give a totally different story. A proven performer in the past, Haller is a consistent goal-scorer and there is no questioning his talent. Moreover, West Ham do not have many options in the striker’s department.
West Ham had just two forwards in their mix. Hence, rather than selling him, West Ham should have kept more faith in him.