One of the more notable transfer missed opportunities at West Ham United in recent times saw the club reportedly miss out on a move for Egyptian starlet Mohamed Salah, with the ruthless forward having since gone on to leave GSB more than ruing that previous failure.

The former Basel man had been snapped up by London rivals Chelsea on an £11m deal back in January 2014, although after scoring just twice in 19 appearances in all competitions at Stamford Bridge, the mercurial wizard was subsequently shipped off to Serie A side Fiorentina on loan after just 12 months in England.

That temporary move to Florence proved particularly fruitful as the 5 foot 9 menace scored nine times and provided four assists in just 26 games in the second half of the 2014/15 season, with such form seemingly catching the eye of the Irons.

The east London outfit - then managed by current Watford boss Slaven Bilic - had reportedly made an ambitious loan offer to sign the dynamic ace from the Blues in the summer of 2015, with the Hammers looking to pair the winger in attack alongside the incoming Dimitri Payet.

Supporters were denied the chance to see what would have been a simply mouthwatering partnership in action, however, as the fleet-footed sensation returned to Italy to join AS Roma on an initial loan deal, before signing permanently a year later for just £16m.

The rest, as they say, is history, with Salah having subsequently gone on to sparkle during his two-year stint at the Stadio Olimpico - providing 56 goal contributions in just 83 games for I Giallorossi - before joining Premier League giants Liverpool on a £34m deal in 2017.

That switch to Anfield has proven a masterstroke for Reds boss Jurgen Klopp - despite the German's initial reservations - with the 83-cap machine having been a consistently clinical presence in the years since, with three top-flight Golden Boots to his name and 161 goals in just 266 games for the Merseyside outfit.

A simply "unique" asset - as described by Ben Webb - the £350k-per-week marksman has repeatedly terrorised opposition defenders with both his creative flair and relentless speed, proving a constant nightmare for West Ham, in particular, with a remarkable haul of nine goals in just nine games against the London Stadium outfit to date.

Such has been the 30-year-old's rise since being cast out by his former employers Chelsea, he is now reportedly worth as much as £88m, according to CIES Football Observatory, notably earning praise as "one of the best players in the world" from current boss, Klopp.

To have missed out on such a stunning talent will likely be a huge source of frustration for both GSB and Hammers supporters, having also previously fluffed the chance sign another former Blues man on loan in the form of Romelu Lukaku in 2013...