West Ham United have endured their fair share of disasters when it comes to signing forwards since 2010.
Think back to the club signing the likes of Mido, Benni McCarthy, Marouane Chamakh, and Nikica Jelavic, and these names surely send shivers down the majority of the West Ham faithful.
Before them came Carlos Tevez, a diminutive but powerful forward who despite lasting just one season in east London, scored the goal which confirmed the club’s escape from relegation in 2006/07.
In 2009, West Ham endured a nightmare on a potential successor to Tevez; and with the career that one Edinson Cavani went on to have, it is arguably one of their biggest regrets. He ended up scoring more than the Argentine, too…
West Ham endured a nightmare over Cavani
Cavani was linked with a move to West Ham 13 years ago while he was still at Palermo, but a move to the Boleyn Ground didn’t go through and he ended up signing for Napoli on loan, before making that move permanent.
Three years and 104 goals later, the Uruguayan was on his way to French heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain for a fee of £55m.
His time in the French capital was a success, netting an impressive 200 goals in 301 appearances. He eventually ended up in the Premier League at the age of 35, but it wasn’t West Ham that he joined.
He signed for Manchester United in 2020 and proved that he could still cut it at the highest level by scoring 19 goals in 59 matches. Author John Ludden claimed the player was a “swashbuckling” centre-forward during his time at PSG and Napoli, and he also shone for the Red Devils.
It’s a case of what could have been at West Ham back in 2009, as Cavani would have been the ideal South American striking successor to Tevez, while he also has a better goalscoring record than the Argentine forward.
Cavani has netted 360 goals in his club career, ahead of Tevez who has scored 244. In terms of international records, the Uruguayan also has the upper hand, scoring 58 goals in 133 caps while Tevez has netted just 13 times for Argentina.
The latter will always have a special place in West Ham supporters’ hearts for what he did 15 years ago, but it’s clear that Cavani would have been a wonderful signing for West Ham back in 2009, especially with the career that he went on to have.