Worse than Haller & Zaza: Moyes had nightmare on WHU "leader" who cost £2.2m a minute - opinion

It has become something of a running joke that West Ham United are simply cursed when it comes to signing centre-forwards, with the club having brought in a seemingly endless string of names who have all failed to make the grade over the last decade or so.

From the likes of Mauro Zarate, to Simone Zaza to Sebastian Haller, the GSB era has been littered with costly mistakes, with current boss David Moyes having been left to, albeit successfully, mould the versatile Michail Antonio into his leading man.

Among all the strikers who have come and gone in the modern era, one name arguably stands out above the rest as one of the most head-scratching and bizarre of the lot – Jordan Hugill.

Signing players is always something of a lottery, although in the case of the former Preston North End striker there was always a feeling that he wouldn’t cut it at the elite level, having only plied his trade in the second tier and below prior to his £10m move in January 2018.

After a spate of injuries, Moyes turned to the then 25-year-old as a striking solution, during what was his first stint in charge of the club, although he failed to showcase the cunning market expertise that has become the defining feature of his second spell.

For Hugill, in particular, the former Manchester United manager might as well have not bothered pushing ahead with the deal, such was the entirely forgettable nature of the Englishman’s time at the club.

In fact, the Middlesbrough-born man went on to make just three appearances for the club – costing roughly £3.33m per outing and £2.2m per minute in relation to his transfer fee – with his total competitive playing time reaching just 22 minutes in all.

Unsurprisingly, the arrival of Manuel Pellegrini in the hot