West Ham United Football Club is an English football institution with a big history and close links to its local community. As the Irons have strived for success, they have had to spend big on transfers in order to keep pace with the clubs around.
Here are West Ham’s ten most expensive transfers:
Sebastian Haller (Signed from Eintracht Frankfurt for £45m)
The French striker joined the Hammers from German club Eintracht Frankfurt for a club-record fee of £45m. He had previously impressed in a highly dangerous Eagles attack, and his goalscoring ability put a demand on his services.
However, things did not work out as expected in east London for the forward. He made 46 Premier League appearances and scored 14 goals for the Hammers before a move to Ajax for £18.8m in January 2021.
He was more successful with the Dutch club and, in July 2022, moved on once again, this time joining German giants Dortmund for a fee of around £31m.
Lucas Paqueta (Signed from Lyon for a fee potential rising to £50m)
The Brazilian international attacking midfielder joined the Hammers in the summer of 2022 for a fee that could potentially rise to a club-record £50m if all the add-on criteria are met. Paqueta arrived from French football with a big reputation.
He made his West Ham debut on 31st August in a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Paqueta has arguably enjoyed a slow start to his West Ham career, and it remains to be seen if he will do enough to justify his massive price tag.
Kurt Zouma (Signed from Chelsea for a fee of £30m)
The French centre-back started his career in English football by moving to West Ham’s London rivals Chelsea in 2014. After showing potential in various loan spells at St. Etienne, Stoke City, and, most notably, Everton, Zouma completed a move to West Ham in August 2021.
The defender made his Irons debut on 16th September 2022 in a 2-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League. The centre-back has endured mixed fortunes with the capital club since his arrival.
Felipe Anderson (Signed from Lazio for a fee of £36m)
When the mercurial Brazilian winger arrived in July 2018 from Lazio, he was considered an exciting acquisition. He had produced magic moments for the Roman club and was considered one of the most exciting talents in the European game.
After scoring ten times in 40 games in the first season of his West Ham career, Anderson struggled to reproduce his best form the following season, when he contributed just one goal in 28 appearances. In October 2020, West Ham allowed the Brazilian international to join Porto on a season-long deal.
In July 2021, Anderson re-joined his former club Lazio for an undisclosed fee, with reports suggesting the price to be as little as £3m. The Brazilian star finished his West Ham career with 12 goals in 73 appearances in all competitions.
Gianluca Scamacca (Signed from Sassuolo for an initial fee of £30m plus £ 5 million add-ons)
The giant Italian international made a name for himself in an exciting and attacking Sassuolo team. His goals and performances persuaded the Hammers to pay a potential fee of around £ 35 million for the forward in the summer of 2022.
The young forward’s signing was considered a coup for the Irons. Scamacca made his West Ham debut as a substitute on August 7th in a 2-0 home defeat by reigning Premier League champions Manchester City.
Injury issues have hampered Scamacca’s early West Ham career. However, it is too early to say if the Italian forward will fulfil his undoubted potential with the club from the English capital.
Nikola Vlasic (Signed from CSKA Moscow for a fee of £30m, including add-ons)
The Croatian attacking midfielder joined West Ham in 2021 from CSKA Moscow. Vlasic had fulfilled some of his potential in Russia after a switch from Everton in 2018. His performances were enough to convince the Hammers to splash out a potential fee of £30m to sign him.
However, like his previous stint in the Premier League, Vlasic struggled for consistency and regular game time with the Hammers. In the summer of 2022, Vlasic joined Serie A club Torino on a season-long loan deal.
Said Benrahma (Signed from Brentford for an initial fee of £25m, plus £5m add-ons)
The Algerian attacker initially joined West Ham on a season-long loan deal from Brentford in 2020. He completed a permanent switch to the Hammers in January 2021 to allow the Irons to bring in another domestic loan player in the winter transfer window.
Like many players on this list, Benrahma has struggled for any real consistency during his West Ham career, although he has scored some potentially vital goals for the Irons during his time with the club.
Pablo Fornals (Signed from Villarreal for a fee of £24m)
The attacking midfielder impressed the Hammers while playing for Villarreal. He joined the Irons as a 23-year-old in July 2019 for a reported fee of £24m and made his debut in a 5-0 home drubbing by Manchester City on 10th August.
Fornals has shown flashes of his ability during his time with the club from East London while making over 150 appearances for the Hammers in all competitions.
Andriy Yarmolenko (Signed from Dortmund for an undisclosed fee)
The Ukrainian international winger joined West Ham from Dortmund in 2018 for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around £23m. Like others on this list, Yarmolenko only showed flashes of his talent for the club from east London.
The winger spent four years with the Hammers, making 86 appearances in all competitions and scoring just 13 goals. In the summer of 2022, he was allowed to leave the club after the expiration of his contract with the club.
Issa Diop (Signed from Toulouse for a fee of £22m)
The centre-back arrived as a promising young star from Toulouse for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around £22m from Toulouse in 2018. After being a regular starter for much of his West Ham career, Diop struggled for first-team football in season 2021/22.
In the summer of 2022, Diop left for capital rivals Fulham for an undisclosed fee. He had made 121 appearances in all competitions for the Irons before the move.