While West Ham United eventually ended up spending nearly £60 million on Mateus Fernandes and Soungoutou Magassa, the Premier League outfit actually went into the summer window with very different targets in mind.
In contrast to the likes of Mads Hermansen – the former Leicester City goalkeeper was always the first-choice for West Ham United – the one-time Southampton and Monaco starlets only really emerged late in the window.
West Ham made their first Mateus Fernandes bid on August 12.
They would turn to Magassa a week later, meanwhile, after Edson Alvarez’s Fenerbahce switch opened up space for the deep-lying France Under-21 international.
But what happened to the man who started the summer as the club’s priority target for the centre of the park? Well, not much, really. Raphael Onyedika is still a Club Brugge player, after all.
Now, thanks to Het Nieuwsblad, some light has finally been shed on the confusion surrounding a midfielder who looked destined to be on the move, but now finds himself facing another season in Belgian football.
Club Brugge captain Hans Vanaken delighted that West Ham United didn’t sign Raphael Onyedika
Hammers News were informed all the way back in June that head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay had identified Raphael Onyedika as his top priority.
While having initially made his name in a more defensively-minded role, Onyedika underwent a Declan Rice-style transformation into an all-action, box-to-box number eight at Club Brugge. Macaulay, who reunited with Potter after they worked together at Brighton, is understood to have viewed him as a potential successor for Tomas Soucek, rather than the aforementioned Alvarez.
A source speaking on behalf of his agents also told Africa Foot that personal terms would not be an issue for West Ham. Onyedika, reportedly valued at around £20 million, was keen on a move to the Premier League.
A move which, as the summer progressed became more and more unlikely.
Het Niewsblad now explain that, despite interest from Leeds, Everton, Roma and Sevilla as well, the only club to make a serious approach before the September 1st deadline were Eintracht Frankfurt.
Clearly, an athletic central midfielder was wanted at the Commerzbank Arena. Frankfurt tried to hijack West Ham’s Magassa move, too. Their brief pursuit of Onyedika would end in similar disappointment after failing to meet Club Brugge’s asking price.
Captain Hans Vanaken – a player West Ham also tried to sign a couple of years back – was just happy to see the window close and Onyedika’s name printed next to his on the Club Brugge team sheet.
“I’m a huge fan of Rapha,” Vanaken said this week. “You can always hand the ball to him. I’m incredibly happy he’s stayed, because he’s really important to us.”
A source speaking to Het Nieuwsblad, meanwhile, reports that Onyedika remains ‘example to everyone in our squad’ even if he made no secret of his desire for a new challenge. The Nigeria international is now expected to start looking for opportunities again from January onwards.
Lack of Tomas Soucek movement can explain why Onyedika stays
As for exactly why West Ham drifted away, the lack of movement surrounding the aforementioned Tomas Soucek is probably a key factor. While Macauley wanted Onyedika to replace the giant Czech powerhouse, offers hardly arrived in their droves for Soucek.
Everton did make a bid but that only came at the end of August, when West Ham had already moved to secure Magassa and Fernandes. Soucek rejected a David Moyes reunion at Everton, while the Hammers turned down that £15 million offer.
Furthermore, West Ham were unable to make a move for Onyedika at a time when Mohammed Kudus was still wearing claret and blue. The Ghanaian’s £54.5 million move to Tottenham in July was required to free up funds. And, by that point, Graham Potter and co had decided to prioritise goalkeeper Hermansen and left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf.
West Ham leapt at Diouf after watching him dominate Bukayo Saka during Senegal’s 3-1 win over England in Nottingham. With so many other suitors, this was not one the Hammers were prepared to delay and risk slipping through their fingers.
As for Magassa, the Monaco fans were pining for the West Ham newbie when watching Onyedika, Vanaken and co tear their side apart in a 4-1 Champions League trouncing last week.
