West Ham United could have signed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for €20m but paid €35m for Nikola Vlasic instead

West Ham United could have signed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for €20m but paid €35m for Nikola Vlasic insteadWest Ham United and Newcastle United were both keen on signing Paris Saint-Germain attacker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The Georgian was available for €20 million in 2021, but the Hammers decided to spend €35m on Nikola Vlasic, then at CSKA Moscow. However, the Croatian lasted just one season at the London Stadium club and is regarded as a West Ham flop. On the other hand, Newcastle, under new owners at the time, decided against making a bid for him in 2022, and it is a decision they regret, according to The Telegraph. Kvaratskhelia had had his Rubin Kazan contract suspended at the time, moving to Dinamo Batumi immediately before joining Napoli three months later in July 2022 for €10m.

>He has since emerged as the world’s best winger and could pick up another Champions League trophy tonight. The 25-year-old spent two-and-a-half seasons in Napoli before moving to PSG in January 2025 for €80m. Kvaratskhelia has proven his quality over and over again and West Ham could have had better fortunes on and off the pitch with him in their ranks. Signing Vlasic over him is a decision the Hammers will keep regretting as the Croatian only bagged one goal in 31 games for them before leaving on loan for Torino.

>Newcastle will also be ruing their decision not to bid for the PSG star. He could have made a huge difference in their team had he joined them at the time.