By Conor Hogan

“It’s actually sad” – Was Watford legend and talkSPORT pundit Troy Deeney too harsh on West Ham forward Callum Wilson?

When West Ham signed Callum Wilson from Newcastle on a free transfer this summer, the feeling among Hammers fans was almost unanimously negative.

The West Ham faithful longed for a young, quick, prolific striker with potential; what they got was an aging, injury-prone forward who had previously belittled the Hammers’ 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League triumph online.

However, despite West Ham’s abysmal start to the 2025/26 campaign, fans have started to look more favourably on the new no.9, who has found the net more often this season than fellow Irons striker Niclas Füllkrug, despite playing 210 fewer minutes.

But not everyone believes that the 33-year-old is the answer to West Ham’s striker woes – including former Watford striker Troy Deeney, who claimed on Talksport that “It’s actually sad watching him play at times now”.

Though Wilson hasn’t set the world alight in East London, Deeney’s comments about him were undoubtedly harsh. When given the opportunity, Wilson’s work-rate, movement and hold-up play have impressed, particularly in the win at Nottingham Forest in August.

Despite looking physically sharp for the Hammers this season, Deeney believes that Wilson is “coming to the end of it” – interesting comments from a man who, at 32, took great offence to being asked about retirement after his Watford side’s 3-1 loss to David Moyes’ West Ham in July 2020.

West Ham play Brentford on Monday night – with Füllkrug out through injury, Wilson may get his opportunity to fire back at Deeney by scoring his first London Stadium goals for the Hammers.