West Ham United enjoyed an impressive summer of recruitment with eight major incomings having been completed, although one notable outgoing was that of Issa Diop, with the Frenchman securing a move to newly-promoted Fulham.
That £15m switch had come after a difficult few years for the centre-back under Hammers boss David Moyes, having been restricted to just ten Premier League starts during the 2021/22 campaign.
That marked something of a fall from grace for the 25-year-old with regards to his initial impact at the London Stadium, having been signed by Manuel Pellegrini on a £22m deal in the summer of 2018.
The former Toulouse made an almost immediate impression following what at the time was a club-record arrival, notably starring in a 3-1 victory against Manchester United just a matter of months into his time in England, with Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho dubbing him a “monster” following that imperious display.
So impressed were those at Old Trafford by the promising defender that they were even reportedly willing to make an offer of around £45m plus a player in the summer of 2019, albeit with the Irons said to have been holding it out for closer to £60m.
That decision not to cash on the 6 foot 4 menace at the time has seemingly come back to haunt GSB, with the east Londoners losing out on a hefty transfer profit for a player who subsequently went on to slip down the pecking order.
The £15m fee that the club did receive from the Cottagers this summer for the £67k-per-week man is three times less than they could have got three years ago, with the Hammers hierarchy likely to be ruing that decision.
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Their ability to recoup a hefty fee this summer had been limited by the fact that the former France U21 international had just a year remaining on his deal with the club at the time, with the player also having seemingly been desperate for a change of scenery.
Having not only lost money on their initial investment but also missed out on a potential mega-money sale to those at the Theatre of Dreams, GSB appear to have had a mare with regards to their handling of Diop.