Jack Wilshere and Lukasz Fabianski follow a steady flow of players who have played for both Arsenal and West Ham over the years, here are a selection who have served both clubs and its a mixed bag in terms of success!
Luis Boa Morte 2007-2011 75 Apps
Boa Morte was singed from Fulham for £5million in January 2007 in order to bolster West Ham’s fight for survival from a seemingly impossible position. Known and loved by Fulham fans for his work rate and direct style of play, Boa Morte always flattered to deceive in the claret and blue.
Boa Morte suffered a cruciate knee injury in the close season of 2009 meaning he missed the whole of the 2009-2010 and he always struggled to recreate his form from his Fulham days.
Boa Morte featured 28 times in the 2010-2011 playing his last game for the club in the 3-0 home defeat to Sunderland after relegation was confirmed. His contract was terminated by mutual consent in the summer of 2011.
A player of quality who came to the club with a big reputation but ultimately failed to deliver for the club.
Frederik Ljungberg 2007-2008 25 Apps
Signed from Arsenal in the summer of 2007 for £3 million Ljungberg came with a big reputation. He was one of the famous invincibles and was recognised as a scorer of important goals in his time with the Gunners. Unfortunately the Swede was very underwhelming in the claret and blue, it came to light that he was close to retirement having left the Gunners but agreed to play on because of the generosity of the contract offered by West Ham, one season into a 4 year deal both parties agreed to terminate his contract by mutual consent.
Ljungberg was a player with pedigree but as is so often the case West Ham signed Ljungberg when he was on the way down, rather than on the way up and he didn’t justify either his price tag or his wages.
He went on to play with success in the US and finally retired in 2014 after playing in Scotland, China and India.
Liam Brady 1986 – 1990 106 Apps
Unquestionably one of Republic of Ireland’s greatest ever players Brady joined West Ham from Italian side Ascoli for £100,000 in March 1987. Brady’s career started at Arsenal where he made his League debut in October 1973 aged just 17, Brady was to become one of Arsenals greatest players appearing in 3 consecutive FA Cup finals between 1978 and 1980. Brady moved to Juventus in the summer of 1980 winning two Scudetto titles moving onto to Sampdoria, Inter Milan and finally Ascoli.
Although in the twilight career when he joined West Ham his skill and guile were plain for all to see, he was a member of the squad that was relegated in 1989, Brady played one more season in Division 2 and finally retired from playing at the end of 1989-90 season.
Brady played 70 times for the Republic scoring 9 times his last goal for his country was the winner in a 1-0 defeat of Brazil in May 1987 in Dublin.
Following the end of his playing career Brady had unsuccessful spells in charge of Celtic and Brighton, he went onto forge a successful career within the Arsenal Youth Academy.
Lee Chapman 1993-1995 40 apps
Chapman led Leeds United to the 1st Division title and was also a great striker for the last of Brian Clough’s Forest teams in the late eighties. Chapman was in the twilight of his career when he joined the Hammers in 1993. Harry Redknapp sold Julian Dicks and bought in 3 players of which Chapman was one and he made instant impact scoring in the surprise victory at Blackburn on his debut. Chapman was a good striker but his powers were on the wane and his lack of mobility was often exposed so much so that Redknapp replaced him with a supporter at a pre-season friendly at Oxford City.
Chapman had a big reputation and rightly so, and he did play part in stabilising the club in the Premier League, he moved on to Ipswich after 40 appearances and his career slowly petered out.
John Radford 1976-1978 30 Apps
A double winning striker with international experience in his late 20’s what could possibly go wrong? 30 games without scoring and a string of hugely underwhelming performances is what went wrong in this scenario.
Radford was a mainstay in the Arsenal side that completed the double in 1971 scoring 21 goals in the double winning season, but by the late seventies Radford was no longer first choice losing his place to Malcolm MacDonald and Frank Stapleton and was moved onto the Hammers for £80.000 in December 1976.
Radford made 30 appearances in a season and a half and barn doors were left unthreatened for the duration of his stay until his move to Blackburn in 1978.
Radford would go on finish his career with Bishops Stortford winning both the Isthmian league and the FA trophy. Radford went on to manage Bishops Stortford and coach the youth team at Queens Park Rangers. He now works as a pundit on Arsenal TV as well as giving guided tours of the Emirates.
