West Ham Ready to Pay £17.5m Flop to Leave

By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)

West Ham are exploring the possibility of mutually terminating Maxwel Cornet’s contract as the club look for a permanent solution to one of their longest-running transfer problems, according to ExWHUEmployee.

Such an agreement would finally bring an end to a disastrous £17.5million move which has left the Hammers paying for a player who appears to have no future under Nuno Espírito Santo.

And, quite frankly, it’s probably time for everyone to cut their losses.

Cornet couldn’t get into Nuno’s West Ham team even before the Hammers signed Edvin Austbø to provide further competition on the wing.

There were fleeting appearances during pre-season which suggested the former Burnley man might be given another chance. But, much like James Ward-Prowse, ultimately it didn’t mean anything.

West Ham Running Out Of Options

The biggest problem isn’t simply that Cornet appears to have no future at West Ham. It’s become increasingly difficult to find another club willing to take him.

Southampton signed him on a season-long loan in 2024 but sent him back in January after just four appearances in all competitions.

That’s quite remarkable when you consider there was once a very good player in there somewhere.

Cornet played Champions League football with Lyon before producing an excellent season at Burnley, scoring nine Premier League goals before West Ham paid £17.5million to bring him to the London Stadium.

But that player has long since disappeared.

C&H reported just how desperate West Ham were to get Cornet playing elsewhere, with Genoa covering only a fraction of his wages during his loan spell.

More recently, we revealed there had been zero interest in signing Cornet, with the possibility of mutually terminating his contract already looming if a transfer couldn’t be found.

If he can’t force his way into the West Ham team now we’re in the Championship, it’s increasingly difficult to see any route back.

Contract Termination Could Suit Everyone

That leaves West Ham with an uncomfortable but increasingly obvious solution.

If the club can negotiate a settlement where Cornet receives part of what remains on his contract and walks away as a free agent, it could suit everybody.

West Ham would save money on a player they’re not going to use, while Cornet would be free to find another club without a transfer fee or his current contract complicating matters.

There comes a point when keeping an unwanted player simply because he cost a lot of money makes even less sense than admitting the original transfer was a mistake.

Cornet reached that point at West Ham a long time ago.

Sometimes you just have to take the financial hit, cut your losses and move on.