Outgoing West Ham United goalkeeper Adrian admitted that he held unsuccessful contract renewal talks with the club before last season.
The 32-year-old will be leaving the club at the end of this month once his current Hammers deal expires, and the Spaniard has admitted that he did discuss remaining at the London Stadium.
“We sat down for renewal talks at the start of [last] season but didn’t reach an agreement,” he told Marca. “It’s true that the fans wanted me to stay, but my contract expires now and I think it’s time for a change and to keep improving.
“They’ve been six tremendously positive years. I only have words of thanks for the club, the fans, the employees… I will always have West Ham in my heart.”
OPINION
It would have been a surprise to see Adrian leave West Ham without the club at least trying to keep him at the club. Yes, he lost his status as first choice ‘keeper to Luaksz Fabianski last season, but he is still one of the better back up shot-stoppers in the Premier League. Besides, he was still West Ham’s number one when the contract talks were underway. Perhaps the Hammers weren’t too keen on offering him a lucrative contract when they’d just signed Fabianski, or perhaps Adrian had simply decided that this was going to be his last campaign in east London. There’s no doubt that the supporters would have preferred the Spaniard to remain where he is, but he’s decided to go on to pastures new. That’s fine, he deserved the opportunity to choose the next step in his career. He’s been a wonderful servant to the Irons, but the time has very much come for him to move on.
