The Ghost in the Gloves

It is a spectacular truth of modern football that a player can reside on your books for years, yet remain as elusive as a reliable central defender in January. Case in point: Hungarian goalkeeper Krisztián Hegyi, whose permanent departure to Sparta Prague was officialised today,

To say I have seen him play exactly never is not an exaggeration; it is a clinical fact. His name had been uttered so infrequently in my presence that I had entirely forgotten he even collected a wage from us. A tragic state of affairs, really. He existed primarily as a phantom number on the back of a training top, haunting the periphery of the first-team squad like a beautifully confused spectator who somehow got past security.

Classic West Ham move, of course.

Nevertheless, the blog wishes him nothing but the absolute best in the Czech capital. It is a glorious city for a fresh start. We can only hope his new home provides him with the spectacular development that inevitably guarantees a classic twist. Give it three seasons, and I fully expect to be sitting here, gripped by bitter irony, typing a furious entry that screams: “I cannot believe we sold him!”

Safe travels, Krisztián. Go and make us look foolish. It’s what we do best.