After an acrimonious sell, West Ham’s fan favourite is now only worth £2 million.Although West Ham United has a troubled transfer history, under David Moyes’ leadership the team has experienced a period of consistency that culminated in a victory in the Europa Conference League last June.
The advent of Declan Rice, who left the club’s academy after graduating, made 245 senior appearances, played a crucial role in the development of the team, and completed a £105 million transfer to Arsenal last summer, has coincided with increased accuracy in the market.
Grady Diangana, a deft and artistic winger, is one of the most exciting newcomers to the scene (apart from Rice), and he plays for Moyes’ first team. While Ben Johnson and a plethora of young talent are currently fighting for a regular spot, homegrown breakthroughs have been limited.
While Diangana’s future was generating a lot of excitement, West Ham controversially decided to cash in just as he was about to become well-known.
Why West Ham sold Grady Diangana
That was 2020. After rejoining West Ham halfway through the 2019–20 season, Moyes had just avoided relegation and was focused on strengthening the team.
While Diangana was a potential player, it soon became apparent that cashing in on one of the club’s most marketable assets—Diangana—might be the wise, if controversial, decision given the glut of wide players that followed Jarrod Bowen’s £22 million transfer from Hull City in January 2020.
Rice’s departure was expected by the club, but Diangana was a suitable replacement because Chelsea, who had let the player leave Cobham during his early career and had a strong desire to regain his signature, were unable to make an offer for the costly acquisition.
As a result, Irons captain Mark Noble was furious when famed admirers West Bromwich Albion gained access to Diangana and signed him for a sum that was close to £18 million in September 2020.
As could be expected, Noble expressed anxiety over the sale of a player who had suddenly become well-known and was complimented by commentators such as Paul Merson for appearing “very good going forward,” with his partnership with Marko Arnautovic standing out.
The DR Congo international has seen significant depreciation over the past two years, so despite all the hoopla surrounding his departure, it appears that West Ham really pulled off a blinder when it came to cashing in.
Additionally, the money collected was used to sign players like Said Benrahma directly as well as Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal.
On the other hand, Diangana has been entangled in the success of the past three stars, who have all contributed significantly to the impressive voyage.