There are sliding doors moments in the lives of footballers and choosing Newcastle over West Ham has proved the wrong move for one of them.
West Ham and Newcastle United are both massive clubs in the Premier League.
But to start debating which is bigger is futile.
Both the Hammers and Magpies have their merits and edges over one another here and there.
Be it the fact West Ham have a bigger stadium, global fanbase or that Newcastle are – in theory at least – the single richest club on the planet.
West Ham and Newcastle have both been pushing the established elite for European places in recent seasons.
The Hammers qualified for Europe for three consecutive seasons and ended a 43-year major trophy drought by lifting the Europa Conference League too.
Star snubbing West Ham for Newcastle looks his biggest mistake
Newcastle even managed to gatecrash the top four to secure Champions League football.
Neither club are playing in Europe this season.
But West Ham have been the busier of the two in the transfer market in the quest to get back there.
Restricted by PSR, Newcastle have been forced to sell two of their best young players to cut their cloth.
One of West Ham’s most impressive captures has been right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Man United for £15m.
It’s a move that is given great significance in the context of Newcastle after what they did to West Ham.
Some might say there’s even an element of karma that the Magpies are now having to sell their top young talent after they poached one from West Ham.
But the star snubbing West Ham for Newcastle now looks like the biggest mistake of his career.
Highly-rated Ashby forced move to Magpies
Back in January last year West Ham fans were left reeling by the departure of hugely promising young talent when Harrison Ashby to Newcastle United on deadline day.
The move had been one of football’s worst kept secrets for some time with Scotland youth international Ashby being consistently linked with a move to mega-rich Newcastle since last summer.
The swashbuckling right-back impressed with his pace and crossing ability when given chances in the Hammers first team by David Moyes.
Those chances were too few and far between for Ashby’s liking, though, and behind the scenes he made it clear he would not be signing a new deal with West Ham.
With his deal set to expire and the player refusing to sign a new one, West Ham looked to salvage something from the situation by getting around £3m from Newcastle for the defender.
The Ashby move to Newcastle divided many West Ham fans.
Many blamed Moyes for not giving him more game time in a bid to convince him to stay, particularly as right-back had been a real problem position for West Ham – though not anymore.
Others predicted Ashby would fail to cut it at Premier League level like so many Hammers academy starlets before him who had left in search of greener pastures.
More proof the grass isn’t always greener away from West Ham
Moyes made it clear it was Ashby’s call to leave West Ham, stating ‘it was the boy’s decision’.
Ashby did post an emotional farewell message to the Hammers.
But he must surely be regretting the move now.
In his first 18 months on Newcastle’s books he’s made a grand total of zero appearances for them. That’s seven less than he’d made at West Ham.
Right now Ashby could be providing competition for Wan-Bissaka with Vladimir Coufal entering his final year.
Instead, after being shipped out on loan to Swansea last season, Eddie Howe has now loaned the 22-year-old out yet again – this time to QPR.
Yet when he was at West Ham, Ashby didn’t want to go on loan as he felt he should be getting game time.
On returning to London with QPR, Ashby told QPR’s website: “There is only one place that I wanted to come and I am really excited for what’s ahead.”
Ashby had envisaged being a Premier League squad regular by now. Instead he is being loaned out to one Championship club after another.
It might all have been so different.
He joins a long list of young players who may just regret thinking the grass was greener away from West Ham.
