According to recent reports, West Ham are unlikely to play a leading role in the upcoming transfer drama of the January window.
In the past, the Hammers have perhaps been forced to utilise the opportunity presented by the mid-season window to sign players tasked with the challenge of saving the club from an impending relegation battle.
However, whether it’s down to the positive start and the lofty position in which David Moyes’ side find themselves at the turn of the year, or maybe because of a ‘once bitten, twice shy’ attitude towards the market, the manager seems relucant to delve into the notoriously treacherous January market this time around.
For every January success story, the Irons have their share of disasters. Benni McCarthy arrived with a record befitting of a Premier League striker, but when his 14 appearances in east London produced zero goals, he left without much credit.
In contrast to McCarthy, Demba Ba’s mid-winter arrival in 2010/11 saw the striker play just 12 league games for West Ham, but that was still enough for him to become the club’s top scorer for the whole season, which sadly culminated in Premier League relegation.
With both the best and worst of the Hammerss recent January business in mind, we’ve set you a quiz to see how well you remember the deals and the careers of the recent mid-season arrivals…
