Lukasz Fabianski is the club’s record signing for a goalkeeper at £7m.
In fact, West Ham has traditionally relied on free transfers, loans and Academy youth products when it comes to their goalkeepers throughout their history.
Before yesterday David James held the transfer record for a West Ham keeper at £3.5m when he joined from Aston Villa in 2001 followed by Robert Green who joined the Hammers from Norwich in 2006 for £2m.
All other keepers since the Premier League was formed have been under £1m, free or loans.
Craig Forest cost £650,000, Stephen Bywater £400,000, Peter Kurucz £400,000 Ludo Mikosko £300,000 and Ruud Boffin was £250,000. Loans deals have included Joe Hart, Manuel Almunia, Pavel Srníček, Saša Ilić and Ian Feuer.
Free transfers have included Adrian, Darren Randolph, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Roy Carroll, Shaka Hislop, Jimmy Walker, Peter Shilton and Bernard Lama with Les Sealey was a swap deal.
Before the Premier League was formed most West Ham keepers were free, youth products or nominal fees, the exception of which was Phil Parkes who cost the Hammers a world record of £565,000 in 1979.
Not quite true – before Phil Parkes – Bobby Ferguson was a British record.
It is also interesting to note the imbalance on spending in different positions since Sullivan and Gold took over.
With the sale of Randolph I would imagine we are in profit on goalkeepers!
Aside from the lack of investment in goalkeepers we have never spent a penny on right backs apart from Byram – O’Brien, Demel, Zabeletta, Fredricks all free
Most money has been spent on attacking positions where we have spent a small fortune. Good to see we are now looking at building from a strong defence.
good comment jon, bobby ferguson cost 65000 from kilmarnock i think , ron greenwood could have got gordon banks for less but would not pay a signing on fee…
As I understood it, Ron had ‘given his word’ that we would sign Ferguson, and would break it, even to sign Banks, I know this is an out of date concept now!