With the January transfer window soon approaching after the festive fixtures have taken place, it’ll be interesting to see whether David Moyes will look to add to his squad with reinforcements ahead of the remainder of the 2023/24 season. We could also see some players depart the club in favour of a move elsewhere, although that seems as though it’ll only happen if West Ham’s valuation for each player is met.
With data accessed through mybettingsites.co.uk , we’ll take a look at the top-five record West Ham United departures.
- Declan Rice – £99.9m
Rice is by far West Ham’s most expensive departure, with the former Hammers captain leaving the club in the summer of 2023 in favour of a move to Arsenal for a fee just shy of £100m. The midfielder signed for West Ham back in 2013, and broke through to the club’s first-team in 2015, as he made his senior debut against Burnley on the final day of the 2016/17 season.
He went from strength to strength from then on, and went on to make 245 appearances for West Ham, and finished his time with them in style as they won the Europa Conference League title with a dramatic late win over Italian side Fiorentina. Rice has impressed in the early stages of his time with Arsenal, scoring late in their dramatic win over Luton Town at Kenilworth Road in December.
Rice is a player that is extremely difficult to replace given his quality, but the short-term void could be filled by James Ward-Prowse, who has made a strong start to his time at the London Stadium.
- Dimitri Payet – £25.1m
Payet was only with West Ham for a couple of years, but he certainly made a positive impact with the Hammers, although his departure in favour of a move to French side Marseille will still leave a bitter taste for some of the club’s supporters. Payet scored 15 goals, and was on hand to provide 23 assists for his West Ham team-mates in his 60 appearances, which makes for impressive viewing.
The French midfielder scored some ridiculous goals for the Hammers, and some might argue that his creativity is still missed in the West Ham team to this day. Payet left for a fee of £25.1m, and is currently playing his football for Portuguese side Vasco da Gama, where he’s made 16 appearances since signing for them in the summer of 2023 from Marseille.
- Carlos Tevez – £24.9m
Tevez is another player that West Ham fans never got to see the best of on a consistent basis, with his spell at Upton Park being a brief one. The Argentine signed in 2006 from Brazilian side Corinthians, and made 29 appearances for the Hammers, whilst also chipping in with seven goals and four assists. There were off-field problems with Tevez’s transfer deal, which eventually saw him sign for Manchester United on a two-year loan, before he eventually left for their rivals Manchester City in 2009 for a fee just below £25m, which makes him West Ham’s third-most expensive departure.
Tevez is currently manager of Argentinian side Independiente, which is a role he’s held since earlier this year.
- Rio Ferdinand – £22.3m
Ferdinand came through West Ham’s academy system, and made his first-team debut in 1995. The central defender was hugely impressive in the early stages of his senior career with the Hammers, and made 149 appearances in total for the club. His strong performances in the heart of the West Ham defence saw him earn a call-up to the England senior team, which is a place that he kept for over ten years.
Ferdinand’s form didn’t go unnoticed though, with Leeds United agreeing a deal to sign the defender in 2000 for a fee of £22.3m. At the time, this deal was a British transfer record, whilst also becoming the world’s most expensive defender, which was a high accolade to have for any player. Ferdinand went on to play for Manchester United for 12 years, before calling time on his playing career after a forgetful spell with QPR, in which the London-based side were relegated from the Premier League.
- Mark Arnautovic – £21.4m
Arnautovic had previously been on the books with FC Twente, Werder Bremen, and Stoke City before moving to West Ham in 2017. He signed a five-year deal with the Hammers, and was sent-off in just his second game for the club, which came after 33 minutes against Southampton.
The Austrian international scored 22 goals in his 65 appearances, which saw him move to Chinese side Shanghai Port in 2019 for a fee of £21.4m. He then moved to Bologna in 2021, although he’s currently on loan with Inter Milan for the 2023/24 season, where he’s scored one goal from his 13 appearances to date for the Italian giants.
Image from: unsplash.com
