---
title: "Rob Lee says Sebastien Haller ‘wasn’t cut out’ for Premier League"
canonical: "https://readwestham.com/2021/04/23/rob-lee-says-sebastien-haller-wasnt-cut-out-for-premier-league/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Dan Clubbe"
section: "West Ham News"
published: "2021-04-23T14:00:00Z"
modified: "2021-04-23T14:00:00Z"
---

# Rob Lee says Sebastien Haller ‘wasn’t cut out’ for Premier League

Former Premier League midfielder Rob Lee has claimed recently departed [West Ham](https://readwestham.com/2021/04/23/virals-declan-rice-tipped-to-leave-west-ham-without-ucl-qualification/) striker [Sebastien Haller](https://readwestham.com/2021/04/19/trevor-sinclair-claims-striker-void-will-cost-west-ham/) ‘wasn’t cut out’ for the Premier League.

Haller remains the Hammers record signing having arrived in east London for £45 million from Eintracht Frankfurt in July 2019 ([BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49017405.amp)).

Despite the big fee involved and high expectancy, the move never worked out for the Ivory Coast international, scoring just [14 times in 53 appearances](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/sebastien-haller/leistungsdatenverein/spieler/181375) for the club.

David Moyes took the decision to allow [Haller to leave the club in January](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55576847.amp) when Ajax came calling, leaving himself short of striking options in the process.

Lee, who played [18 times](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/rob-lee/leistungsdatenverein/spieler/14183) for the Irons during his playing career, has told [This Is Futbol](https://thisisfutbol.com/2021/04/blogs/premier-league/exclusive-rob-lee-haller-similar-to-joelinton-e87/) that 26-year-old simply wasn’t of a level for the English top-flight and compared him to a fellow struggling striker.

> I called him West Ham’s Joelinton because for me he was very similar and they signed him for a similar price, about £45 million, and he just wasn’t cut out for the Premier League. I’m not sure he was a centre forward, he was just a forward, so where do you play him? I don’t know what people see in these players when they scout them, but he wasn’t good.

Since heading to the Eredivisie, Haller has managed [eight goals](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/sebastien-haller/leistungsdaten/spieler/181375) in 14 league outings, earning an average [Sofascore rating](https://www.sofascore.com/player/sebastien-haller/149731) of 7.43.

### READ WEST HAM VERDICT

Unfortunately, it’s hard to disagree with Lee on this.

Although Haller had his moments in a claret and blue shirt, in the main the [powerful](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/236544/Show/S%C3%A9bastien-Haller) Ivorian [struggled to make an impact](https://talksport.com/football/842786/sebastien-haller-west-ham-frustration-ajax-top-four/) in the lone striker role – unable to emulate the work rate and endeavour of Michail Antonio.

That said, cutting losses in January was a risk, one that has proved misguided given Antonio’s current [absent status](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/09/michael-antonio-could-miss-rest-of-season-west-ham-david-moyes).