West Ham's 10 biggest sales of all time

Jacque Talbot

• 15 Jul 2023 07:22 CDT
• 5 min read

West Ham's decision to sell Declan Rice to Arsenal in July 2023 marked a new record sale in the Premier League.

The Hammers had made life difficult for the Gunners to sign Rice, with a transfer saga drawn out over a year and involving all of the league's major teams.

This itself was evidence of how much West Ham thought of the England midfielder, who they signed from Chelsea as a youth and nurtured into a world-class performer.

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Indeed, the Hammers have not been short of quality in the past, so to command a bigger transfer fee than some of the club's all-time greats is a mark of respect in itself.

Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano, Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand, and Jermain Defoe, to name a few, have all played for the London side for a period before being moved on - with some significant money coming the other way.

Here FootballTransfers goes through ten of the club’s biggest-ever sales.

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10. Frank Lampard - €16m (Chelsea, 2001)

What an absolute steal this was. Frank Lampard enjoyed a fruitful beginning at West Ham as a dynamic midfielder. He soon became a first-team regular for the side, but eventually signed for Chelsea, just before their financial takeover. He turned into an all-time Premier League great at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues legend made 648 outings for Chelsea, being their all-time top goalscorer with 211.

9. Issa Diop - €17.8m (Fulham, 2022)

Issa Diop arrived as a club record at the time, coming from Toulouse, but the figure was never disclosed. He proved a decent signing for West Ham.

He initially started as a regular player for the side - but soon found himself on the fringes of the first XI, following the arrival of Craig Dawson and Kurt Zouma in the 2021-22 season. In total he made 121 appearances for West Ham, netting eight times.

8. Javier Mascherano- €22.5m (Liverpool, 2007)

Mascherano's decision to join West Ham came as a surprise, considering the numerous top European clubs that had been linked with him throughout the summer. And things did not go to plan for Alan Pardew’s side.

The transfer itself sparked a flurry of rumours, particularly surrounding Media Sports Investment's potential involvement in acquiring West Ham.

Liverpool requested clearance from FIFA to take Mascherano on loan, before eventually taking the player on a permanent basis.

7. Sebastien Haller - €22.5m (Ajax, 2021)

Sebastien Haller joined Ajax for a club record fee of €22.5m and went on to thrive.

West Ham had also paid a club-record fee for Haller, signing him from Eintracht Frankfurt. But the striker failed to make the grade in the Premier League. After two seasons in which he netted seven goals in all competitions twice, he was bought by the Dutch giants.

6. Andre Ayew - €22.8m (Swansea City, 2021)

Andre Ayew spent two seasons at West Ham. He signed from Swansea City and scored 15 times in 50 games upfront for the Premier League club. But the lack of goals wasn’t enough for the club.

The Ghanaian then went back to the Welsh club, where he thrived once again.

5. Marko Arnautovic - €25m (Shanghai Port, 2019)

It wasn’t a dream start for Marko Arnautovic. David Moyes said that the attacker had to work harder or face being dropped. He took notice. He scored 11 Premier League goals in his first season at the club and was named as Hammer of the Year for the 2017–18 season. After a rejected bid for the Chinese Super League, eventually, he did depart to Asia for a decent sum.

4. Rio Ferdinand- €26m (Leeds, 2000)

Rio Ferdinand made his name at West Ham, being among their collection of young English talent in the early noughties. But it was Leeds who took the plunge and spent a considerable amount to purchase the centre-back. Manchester United then broke the transfer record for a defender to bring him to Old Trafford, where he affirmed himself as a Premier League all-time great.

3. Carlos Tevez - €29m (Man City, 2009)

Carlos Tevez joined from Argentina along with Mascherano. The transfer deal saw West Ham receive a huge £5m fine by the FA. They had to make a quick sale and Tevez’s time at West Ham was short-lived - but his seven goals during a campaign made him something of a cult hero among West Ham fans.

MORE: Premier League 2023/24 summer transfers: All the Done Deals

2. Dimitri Payet - €29.3m (Marseille, 2017)

Dimitri Payet won the Premier League Player of the Year at the 2016 London Football Awards in his inaugural season. His flamboyant style, stunning free-kicks and dribbling ability won West Ham hearts.

But things took a turn when then-West Ham manager Slaven Bilic announced that Payet no longer wanted to play for the club, missing out on the matchday side on numerous occasions.

After two seasons with the Hammers, he re-joined Marseille who paid almost triple the amount that the London club did.

1. Declan Rice - €122m (Arsenal, 2023)

Absolutely shattering West Ham's record for a player sale is Declan Rice, who moved to Arsenal in July 2023 for a British record fee.

Rice broke into the West Ham team in 2017 and went on to play 245 matches for the club, earning England honours along the way.

He will be remembered as a Hammers great, in part thanks to the role he had as David Moyes' side won the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2023.