One of the most notoriously poor transfers West Ham have actioned in recent history ( and that is a long list) still refuses to go away. When the Hammers signed Maxwel Cornet from Burnley in 2022 for £17.5 million on a five year deal, little did they know the trouble that lay ahead.
Cornet has been frequently injured and unavailable: He fell out with Moyes after spending months away in France apparently looking for a cure for his calf strain: Lopetegui trialled him in pre season and loaned him pretty sharpish to Southampton – who promptly returned him unused after half a season as ‘unwanted’. Even with their woeful side which would go on to be relegated.
West Ham then found what they thought was his ‘forever home’ as Cornet – £63k weekly wages (salarysport.com) still heavily subsidised by West Ham – was loaned out again to Serie A side Genoa. Former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Viera has enjoyed working with Cornet despite the recurrence (!) of a muscle injury that kept Cornet sidelined for several of Genoa’s fixtures near the end of the season.
Glory be, Genoa want to keep Cornet and so discussions ensued between the two clubs.
However according to sportwitness.co.uk:
“Genoa are facing difficulties covering Cornet’s wages and that has temporarily put a brake on the move. The 28-year-old is said to be very happy at the Italian side and would be interested in a stay. Everything now depends on how the two clubs iron out an agreement and if another loan deal can make up for the winger’s high salary”
£17m man Cornet has been a transfer best forgotten
Which loosely translated means West Ham need to further subsidise Cornet’s salary until the end of his contract in 2027. Why on earth the club gave Cornet a five year deal – especially since he came with the odd ‘fitness issues’ flagged by Burnley fans. Maxi Cornet does seem to have become the ‘winger who just won’t take flight’.
If the two clubs cannot agree then Cornet will boomerang back to the London Stadium again to sit, unwanted, for two more years. Unthinkable.
Cornet was alright when he first arrived but long periods injured and then on the bench ruined him. Moyes hated playing him (or anybody outside the 14 or so players that he trusted) so he sat watching games losing fitness, sharpness and confidence until desperate times saw him given 5 or 10 minutes during which, unsurprisingly, he did not shine. Just one of many players who were better both before and after their time with us.
“Why on earth the club gave Cornet a five year deal”
Seriously Martin, do you have to ask such questions??
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If he really wants to stay there he could always take a pay cut.
I think we all know he’ll end on a season long loan there with us covering about 75% of his wages.
Another Kieron Dyer Andy Caroll and others they seem to know West Ham likes a sick note
Cornet has turned out to be a disaster signing it’s pointless loaning him as we have to cover so much of his wages any deal needs to be a permanent one we need him off the wage bill asap it’s another ings situation both should have never been signed but that’s not unusual for us over the years we have signed a lot of has beens it’s just seems to go on and on with the same mistakes being made by the powers that be the sooner we get new owners the better as nothing is going to change while this lot of clowns are running the club
BennyBoy,
Funny how you managed to turn a comment on a player into another pointless dig at the owners.
No due diligence again . Westham have this nasty habit of either ignoring or not checking a players injury stats prior to their signing . Sullivan is a successful professional businessman but an amateur when it comes to all the idiosyncrasies involved with signing the right players . A quality DOF is required who can solely focus on the squad , but that’s not going to happen this summer and so get ready for a hearts in mouth season of calamitous results .
To be fair he’d had a pretty good season at Burnley when we signed him. I don’t recall him being injury prone there (I could be wrong I don’t really follow Burnley).
£17.5m didn’t seem an awful price for a player who’d already done well in the Premier League. Now though we’re lumbered with him and in true West Ham fashion turns out to be another crock.
That wasn’t a Moyes signing, that was a Sully “gift”, same as Vlasic, Ings, and numerous others. We’re so inept at signing players and even worse at selling. I think we are pleading poverty at the moment for the purpose of negotiations, but that can all backfire very quickly if we can’t nail down signings and we have to panic buy for top dollar at the end of the window.
I despondent think you speak truth. Keep up bad work.
Moyes who, bring back big sam.
Whilst I agree that Cornet is a waste of money. I can’t put the blame on Moyes because when he was signed it was when he was on fire for Burnley the previous two seasons playing week in week out scoring goals regularly. If anyone is to blame it’s has to be the medical staff if he had issues
What Issues, signing for us you mean
Agreed, Cornet wasn’t a sick note until he came to West Ham, at the time £17mil. seemed reasonable, and he showed promise.
Unfortunately, the wonder of hindsight is over-flowing, while foresight is rare and precious.
Surely the player should have a bit of dignity and recognise his level and wages are with Genoa and not West Ham!!
He only has one career. Does he love to play football or is it ONLY about the money!?
I agreee…..
It is only about the money. What on earth would make you think otherwise?
Another Moyes super buy. Rubber stamped by Baron Greenback