Belief club made mistake not selling player to West Ham – “Kept the wrong one” in summer business

Club Brugge made a mistake in not selling Hans Vanaken to West Ham United in the summer transfer window.

That’s according to analyst Aad de Mos, who believes the Belgian should have been sold when the Hammers were again shown an interest.

Vanaken has been linked with a move to West Ham for several years, with it believed David Moyes is a long-term admirer of the player.

A move has never materialised, though, despite West Ham making several bids to try and lure him to the London Stadium.

That was certainly the case in the summer transfer window, when they were again keen and made a bid to sign him before eventually bringing in Lucas Paqueta from Lyon.

Vanaken ended up remaining at Brugge and later signed a new long-term deal at the club, something which has been questioned since as he’s managed just nine goals and four assists in 31 games in the league this season.

Those numbers are not good enough for some, including De Mos, who believes the 30-year-old should have been sold to West Ham when the opportunity was there.

“Brugge insisted on keeping him in front of West Ham here,” Voetbal Nieuws report him saying.

“Vanaken is one of those typical Belgian guys who likes it on the beach of Knokke, but who furthermore lacks the guts – no balls.

“Maybe you got rid of the wrong one with De Ketelaere then and kept the wrong one with Vanaken.

“There has also been too little ongoing selection in recent years. Ajax made the same mistake – tarring too long on the players who brought you prizes.”