What’s gone wrong for Gökhan Töre at West Ham United?
West Ham United supporters could not have been blamed for looking forwards to the 2016-17 season. They were understandably buoyant after finishing seventh – ahead of Liverpool, Chelsea and Everton – last term after a successful first year in charge from new boss Slaven Bilić.
Nearly a year on and things have not turned out half as well as they might have hoped. The Hammers currently sit 14th in the EPL with four games to go. They could still be relegated but even if they aren’t, this term will still go down as a huge anti-climax.
The Hammer recruited heavily over the summer, spending over £30 million on the likes of Andre Ayew, Arthur Masuaku and Edimilson Fernandes. They also splashed out £2.5 million on a season-long loan for Turkish international winger Gökhan Töre from Slaven Bilić’s old team, Beşiktaş. It is no stretch of anyone’s imagination to state that Töre’s 2016-17 season has been a disappointing one.
The Turkish star made his debut for the Hammers against Chelsea in August, coming on as a 35th minute substitute for Ayew. He then started the next four games before begin dropped for the home match at Watford. He lasted one half against Accrington Stanley in the English Football League Cup, and another half against Middlesbrough on October 1st … and hasn’t been seen since. That’s a total of six starts and two substitute appearances – hardly good value for a player costing £2.5 million just for one season.
So, what’s gone wrong? Töre had three very successful years at Beşiktaş – two under Bilić – and has won over two dozen caps for his country. England and English football should have held no surprises for him, as he spent two successful years at Chelsea as a seventeen and eighteen-year-old in their reserve squad before leaving for Hamburger SV.
But now Töre has spent all his time since October in Turkey, attempting to recover from a knee injury. It’s likely that Töre’s West Ham United career is over, even before it really off. The Hammers have seemingly admitted defeat in awaiting Töre’s recovery by signing Robert Snodgrass of Hull City to fill Töre’s right wing position.
Töre does not seem to be too down, though. “The treatment and recovery program is very busy for me. I go home afterwards when special physical treatment continues. Then I go to the movies and read books. Besiktas supporters make feel you are a very special player. I hope to return stronger for them,” he said, recently. “I am in my own country, I speak Turkish. To speak English in the UK I needed an interpreter. I feel more comfortable here. I cannot wait to return (to Beşiktaş) I believe everything will be beautiful after the recovery of my health first.”
It seems that Töre no longer considers himself a West Ham player, and is keen to play once again for Beşiktaş. It’s likely that both sets of fans will be happy to hear this news.
