Ten years: that’s how long Josh Cullen spent at West Ham United, hoping to one day replace Mark Noble.
However, the Hammers icon still hasn’t retired, much to his credit, which blocked the way to the first-team for the now 24-year-old.
During his time with the London club, the midfielder managed 10 appearances in the first-team, but when the opportunity to get regular football appeared when it was clear David Moyes wasn’t going to play him, he decided enough was enough and switched clubs.
Anderlecht were the ones who reaped the benefits, signing him for £450k on October 5th, deadline day, and it didn’t take long before Vincent Kompany started to rely on him heavily.
Displacing Adrien Trebel from the first-team, the former West Ham player is now one of the first names in the Jupiler Pro League side’s lineup, even captaining them in a 0-0 draw against Waasland-Beveren in January.
Not only that, but Sport/Foot Magazine, who have a three page article on Cullen’s emergence, explain it’s the Hammers who will end up regretting it the most, as, in the space of five months, ‘his market value has tripled’.
It might not seem like a lot, but it’s quite clear the Republic of Ireland international is finally finding his feet and could end up being a rather shrewd purchase capable of turning into a healthy profit.
All that far away from London Stadium, where Moyes, albeit doing well in charge, can only watch and perhaps kick himself at not believing in the midfielder a bit more.
