In West Ham’s latest episode of ‘the one who got away’ a world class star reveals he was so close to joining he’d even had a house arranged.
Every club has that list of players they should or could have signed but West Ham’s is growing.
Andriy Shevchenko, Neymar, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, Edinson Cavani, Juan Roman Riquelme and an emerging N’Golo Kante are just some of the players who came close to signing for the Hammers.
In more recent years West Ham have turned down the chance to sign Julian Alvarez for £14.5m and Viktor Gyokeres for £17.5m.
The east Londoners also refused to meet the £40m plus asking price for Villa’s Jhon Duran in the summer.
Now he’s probably worth double and is one of the most in-form strikers in Europe.
They say it’s no use crying over spilt milk.
But we’re going to anyway.
Because yet another name has been added to the ‘one who got away’ list for the Irons.
That’s after a world class star revealed he was so close to a £29m West Ham move he’d even chosen where to live.
Zielinski so close to West Ham move he’d chosen where to live
West Ham have been heavily linked with Poland’s brilliant midfielder Piotr Zielinski for the last few transfer windows.
There were reports in Italy the Hammers tried to sign him prior to and since Tim Steidten’s arrival at the London Stadium.
In the end he stayed at Napoli, helped them win the league and – despite fresh reported interest from West Ham – joined Inter Milan on a free in the summer.
Zielinski, now 30, is regarded as one of the greatest Polish footballers of all time.
He’s so good Real Madrid also wanted him as a potential replacement for Luka Modric.
Bruno Fernandes also urged Man United to sign him.
Zielinski could have been played against the Portuguese in the Premier League with the Hammers, though.
Now he has opened up on what really happened with West Ham.
And Zielinski says the move was so close the club had even sorted medical care for his wife and child.
‘I stayed because I didn’t feel this London club’
“As for West Ham – it was also close,” Zielinski has admitted in a YouTube interview with Foot Truck.
“(Napoli owner Aurelio) De Laurentiis was also already convinced about the offer, they (West Ham) threw in €35 million (£29m).
“They were already looking around for medical care for my wife and child, where I was going to live.
“Coach (Luciano) Spalletti took me aside once and asked me what was going on, and I said I would rather stay and fight for the championship (than go to West Ham).
“He said I want you to stay and that it would be the best version of Zielinski.
“I stayed because I didn’t really feel this London (club) either.”
Hammers could do with Zielinski right now
West Ham fans don’t want players who don’t want to be at their club.
So while that might be hard to hear at least he had the courage of his own convictions not to chase the money and make the move to east London for the wrong reasons.
To Zielinkski’s credit he did end up winning that historic Serie A title and has since joined a huge club in Inter Milan.
West Ham could probably do with him right now given the situation with Lucas Paqueta.
Julen Lopetegui will be hoping Carlos Soler – a similar kind of player to Zielinski – can step up.
Although signing Soler permanently will prove extremely difficult and is highly unlikely regardless.
Because the Spaniard is on £240k per week at PSG until 2027.
