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Haller joins Ajax from West Ham in €22.5m club-record deal
The Ivory Coast international striker was the Hammers' club record deal but never truly sparked in the Premier League, scoring 14 goals for the team
West Ham have sold their club record signing Sebastian Haller to Ajax, with the Ivory Coast international joining the Eredivisie giants in a €22.5 million (£20m/$28m) transfer.
Haller moved to the London Stadium in a £35m ($48m) transfer in summer 2019 from Eintracht Frankfurt but never truly caught fire in the Premier League, and has now left for Ajax - where he has become their most expensive ever signing.
West Ham reported the fee as undisclosed, however, Ajax announced the €22.5m price tag on their website, meaning the Hammers have taken a £15m ($20m) loss on a player who scored 14 goals in 50 appearances in all competitions for the London club.
Haller, 26, has previous experience in Dutch football from a two-and-a-half year stint with Utrecht, where he played under current Ajax manager Erik ten Hag.
He netted a total of 51 goals in 98 games for Utrecht, form which earned him a transfer to the Bundesliga with Frankfurt.
After two years in Germany, during which he continued to score regularly and was a key part of the Frankfurt side who reached the Europa League semi-finals in 2019 only to lose on penalties to eventual champions Chelsea, West Ham swooped to make him part of their squad.
Haller only sparked occasionally for West Ham, however, with rare highlights including a stunning overhead kick against Crystal Palace. This season, he started only 10 games under David Moyes and has now been allowed to depart.
A statement on the Hammers' club website said : "West Ham United would like to thank Sebastien for his contribution to the club and wish him all the best for his future career."
Haller has reportedly signed a four-and-a-half year contract with Ajax, until the summer of 2025, and will wear the No 22 shirt.
Ajax are currently top of the Eredivisie with 34 points from 14 games, one ahead of PSV. However, they are suffering a shortage of attacking options due to injuries to Lassina Traore, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Brian Brobbey.
They have therefore broken the bank to bring in Haller, who will be available for their next Eredivisie game on Sunday - which happens to be at home to PSV.
