West Ham would have won the Premier League if they kept their famous academy graduates from the ‘90s, according to former manager Harry Redknapp.
Redknapp managed the Hammers between 1994 and 2001, and helped bring through the likes of Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole, Jermain Defoe, Glen Johnson and Michael Carrick at Boleyn Ground.
“People always talk about Manchester United producing the class of ’92 but they weren’t any better than the six boys we produced at West Ham,” he told The Athletic.
“If you put those two groups of six against each other, there would be nothing in it.
“Ferdinand went on to win championships, Frank Lampard won everything, Cole won everything and Michael Carrick won everything.
“Then you have Glen Johnson who won Premier League titles and Jermain Defoe who had a terrific career
“If the kids had stayed at West Ham what a team that would’ve been. That would’ve been six England internationals in one team.
“That was the difference. Manchester United kept their youngsters and that’s what enabled them to become a great team.
“If I kept those six players together I’m certain I would’ve won the Premier League.”
West Ham fans reactions on Twitter :
Behave ‘array’, you chose not to buy a very good CB (tihanan) and instead bought Titi Camara and Rigobert Song, no doubt because you got a back hander. Don’t lay clam to those boys, you were reluctant to even include Cole. Shyster.
— BlahBlahBlah (@Gav_6717) August 22, 2019
But he never coz he was getting 300 grand for selling Rio to Leeds he didn’t really wanna go but he laid it on thick once he went all the others eventually followed
— ozzie (@ozzy8767) August 21, 2019
Gary Neville was a better RB than Johnson, Cole didn’t have a good career, would Carrick, Ferdinand & Lampard blossomed as well as they did at Utd and Chelsea had they stayed at West Ham? Unlikely. The club never gave the impression they could handle such quality talent.
— philip bargiel (@FinallyFifou) August 22, 2019
Defoe?
Perhaps if he was interested in managing rather than lining his own pockets.
— Steve Conway (@stevecon88) August 22, 2019
Listen don’t get it twisted. Terrance Brown killed our club twice and almost destroyed it twice 1. By selling off all the talent 2. By double crossing Kia Joorabchian & Boris Berezovsky for some extra pounds. It put us back decades. Boris has more money than Abramovich ?? fact
— Daniel Ward Dj (@djdanielward) August 22, 2019
Well maybe you shouldn’t have approved the sale of Rio and in turn pocketed a nice bonus from the sale eh Harry? 300k wasn’t it??
— Ledders (@ledders1974) August 21, 2019