Jordan Hugill has returned to West Ham following a season on loan in the Championship - and once again finds himself seeking a new club.
The Middlesbrough-born striker spent the 2018/19 campaign on loan at his home town club but managed to score just seven goals in 41 appearances as 'Boro finished the season in seventh place - just one point outside the play off zone.Embed from Getty Images
Any chance of Middlesborough seeking to convert his loan into a permanent deal looks dead in the water after West Ham told the Championship side that they'd be seeking to recoup the vast majority of the near £10million paid to Preston for his services in January 2018.
And even were there a deal to be made, few 'Boro fans who would be keen to see Hugill step out for a second season at The Riverside - even at a greatly-reduced fee (whilst his chances of featuring again for West Ham seem non-existent).
"Our recruitment department managed to find a worse player than [Rudy] Gestede. Way to go," wrote 'Boro fan BillyWoofs_shinpad on the club's popular 'One Boro' forum.
"Hugill was also my most disappointing player; I expected very little from him, but I did think he’d be capable of at least staying on his feet."
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Whilst fellow 'Boro fan Neverbefore retorted: "I had hopes he'd be a Yakubu-style battering ram, but instead we got another Michael Ricketts. And that's probably being harsh on Ricketts."
Signed on David Moyes' watch, Hugill made just three appearances for West Ham's first team in his first half-season in London before being sent on a season-long loan to Middlesbrough.
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