Fate intervened to conspire against West Ham in their original plans to bring a striker into the club this winter, according to a new claim today. Had not their original transfer choice been struck down with a hamstring injury, it is unlikely that the Hammers would have instead looked further afield and settled on Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe as their first choice winter signings.

Crystal Palace had, apparently, agreed a deal with West Ham United for £27 million of David Sullivan’s cash, according to the Athletic this morning. Instead of the double front line reinforcements of Taty and Pablo who have liberated West Ham’s whole playing style, had not the player been struck down by a hamstring injury, West Ham’s first signing would have been Palace’s Eddie Nketiah:

“Palace had agreed a deal in principle to sell Eddie Nketiah to West Ham for £27m early in the window only for the striker to sustain a hamstring injury in training, meaning any possible January move was moot. He has not featured this calendar year.”

Not only would Nketiah have become a Hammer..

but likely one West Ham player would have been heading to south London in a separate deal: