Former Hammer Demba Ba has revealed that he was once locked in a car boot as West Ham went to desperate attempts to keep his planned signing a secret.
The striker joined the Hammers from Hoffenheim at the start of 2011, with the club at the time in a desperate relegation battle.
His £3.5m transfer came shortly after a failed move to then Premier League rivals Stoke City collapsed following a failed medical over concerns on his knee.
To prevent waiting reporters from spotting his arrival at the club, he was forced to get a friend to smuggle him into the training ground.
Ba told The Athletic: ‘They said they didn’t want journalists to find out, so I obeyed.
‘It wasn’t the biggest boot. It was like ‘boom, boom’, I’m hitting my head at every corner.’
Despite then going on to bag a highly impressive seven goals in 12 games, Ba was unable to remain in Avram Grant’s side in the top flight as they ended up finishing rock bottom.
Ba added: ‘It was a good dressing room but ultimately we didn’t have the necessary quality.’
