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Striker explains why he had to leave West Ham

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Valencia striker Simone Zaza said he failed to adapt to both Premier League football and the culture in England during his six month stay at West Ham.

The 25 year old initially joined on loan from Juventus last summer, for a reported cost of £5m, but the Italian failed to score in any of his eleven appearances for the club. A £20m purchase clause would have been activated if he had reached 14 appearances but West Ham opted against keeping the player. Zaza said at a press conference in Valencia, he was frustrated at not performing to his best level:

“Everything started badly from the outset, I think the main blame lies with me because I was not right mentally, I was very negative and in all the things that happened I never saw the positive side. There was an atmosphere, a culture very different to mine. That was a problem. Now I’m here I feel bad not to have shown in England what I’m capable of.”

The Sun have reported that West Ham are close to signing Zaza’s replacement with a £15million transfer of Brentford striker Scott Hogan close to completion. Sky Sports however say there are complications in the deal as Hogan’s club are not happy with how the add-on fees are structured and want an additional £6m on top of £9m up front.



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