da esport bet： West Ham United's stunning ascent towards sustained European exploits – leading to victory in the UEFA Europa Conference League last season – is a testament to the Scotsman's managerial expertise.
da 888casino： With astute and accurate transfer dealings laying the foundations for such success, the Hammers have been able to enjoy the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta dazzle defences on the European scene.
In a truly wonderful period for everyone associated with the club, heightened by winning their first trophy in 43 years, the highs of prising sublime talent to the club are dampened by the lows of missing out on further superstars.
In recent years, West Ham's woes in the striker department are well documented and those difficulties could have been put to bed if David Moyes managed to prise Benfica's Darwin Nunez to the club.
Did West Ham almost sign Darwin Nunez?
In January 2022, West Ham threw the proverbial kitchen sink at Benfica in an attempt to sign Darwin Nunez.
The Hammers had multiple offers knocked back on deadline day, the last of which was a club record £60m bid, offering a fee of £50m upfront and £10m in add-ons, as per the Standard.
Moyes was desperate to improve his attacking arsenal and knew that Nunez – who finished the 2021/22 campaign with a staggering 34 goals in 41 appearances – would have fixed their goal-scoring problems and perhaps fired them into the top four.
While they were backed financially in their quest to gatecrash the Champions League, the Portuguese giants ultimately broke Hammers hearts by rejecting their proposals for the Uruguayan, who reportedly preferred a move to one of Europe's elite.
In the summer of last year, Nunez realised his dreams as Liverpool snapped him up for a club record £85m and West Ham were left shopping for another world-class forward.
Who did West Ham sign instead of Darwin Nunez?
Instead of improving their squad in January, West Ham splashed the cash in the summer of 2022 as they spent a whopping £35.5m on Gianluca Scamacca to bolster their European chances.
The Italian gem arrived with Serie A pedigree under his belt, a league that has produced some of the world's best strikers, and the Hammers thought Scamacca would be the latest.
He chalked up an exceptional 16 goals in 36 appearances for Sassuolo in the season prior, ranking in the top 10% for non-penalty goals against his positional peers in the division, top 8% for aerials won and top 2% for successful take-on percentage, as per FBref, so it looked like he fit the profile of a typical Moyes striker.
The 23-year-old could cleverly peel off into the channels, was a physically imposing presence in the air and was destined to become a focal point for his new side.
Possessing all of the requisite ingredients to become a roaring success in the Premier League, Scamacca was expected to significantly improve West Ham's fortunes in front of goal, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
Scamacca produced a disappointing three goals in 16 top-flight appearances and although inspired performances in the Conference League saw him deliver three goals in seven, Moyes had seen enough from him in his debut campaign and offloaded him for £27.6m to Atalanta this summer before his value fell even further.
How has Darwin Nunez performed at Liverpool?
The fact that West Ham were close to signing Nunez and instead had to settle for Scamacca is a bitter pill to swallow as far as the Hammers are concerned.
Whilst the £90k per-week dud cost the club a whopping £6.6m per goal, the Uruguayan is beginning to deliver on the "unstoppable" tag that Jurgen Klopp attached to him, although Nunez did admit that his start to life at Anfield was "difficult".
Despite showing flashes of the brilliance that earned him a club record move, the 24-year-old was often described as "wasteful" in front of goal by several media outlets, including GOAL, and ranked third for big chances missed (20), behind only Marcus Rashford (22) and Erling Haaland (28) last season.
Although missing a lot of big chances can be seen as a negative, being in the right position to receive the opportunity in the first place is a positive, and there aren't many better on the planet than Nunez at fashioning a chance for himself, whether that is through his sheer pace and movement or instinct in the box.
The "unbelievable talent" – as dubbed by Alan Shearer – backs up this claim with his sensational attacking metrics, highlighting how dangerous he is in the final third.
He ranks in the top 2% for non-penalty goals in comparison to his positional peers across Europe's top five leagues in the past year, top 3% for progressive carries, top 4% for touches in the attacking penalty area, top 7% for assists and top 17% for non-penalty goals per 90, via FBref.
The above statistics paint a picture of a striker who is on the verge of blowing teams away with his goals and at the start of this campaign, he's threatening to do just that.
How many goals has Darwin Nunez scored for Liverpool?
The 6 foot 2 marksman, who is now valued at €100m (£86m) according to Football Observatory, has chalked up a respectable 19 goals and seven assists in 52 appearances for the Reds.
However, Nunez is showing early signs this season of improved efficiency in the final third – aside from sitting fourth for big chances missed in the league with six – the 19-cap international has scored four and assisted three in ten appearances in all competitions, including a brace off the bench against Newcastle in the Premier League.
With 0.87 goals per 90 in the top flight this term, teammate Alexis Mac Allister has lavished praise on the striker and expects him to reach the ceiling of his potential.
He said: "I think he's getting better and better. I think we will see the best of him this year."
It's scary to think that the best is still yet to come from Nunez and provides the reason why West Ham were so desperate to sign him in January 2022.