Former West Ham United transfer target Maxi Gomez has revealed why he opted against a move to the London Stadium this summer.
Sky Sports reported earlier this month that the 6ft 1in Uruguay international [Source: Transfermarkt] was on the Hammers’ radar. However, the move ultimately broke down.
Gomez, who joined Valencia earlier this week, has revealed the reasons for his decision: “It was a very tough day, I was in the Copa America and the interest of Valencia and West Ham was talked about, I had to be focused on Uruguay and I chose Valencia because it plays many important competitions,” he said, as per Claret & Hugh.
“I had few vacations after the Copa América and then came to sign with Valencia. I dream of playing Champions League, like I did on Playstation.”
OPINION
It does seem, from what Gomez is saying, that he ultimately opted for a move to Valencia over West Ham because the former are playing Champions League football next season. The Hammers, on the other hand, finished 10th in the Premier League last time out. The difference between the two is stark, of course, and so you can’t really blame the Uruguayan for choosing to move to Marcelino’s side. Plus, he is settled in Spain and knows what he’s going to get from La Liga football. Ultimately, he made his choice for footballing reasons and you can never argue with someone for that. In the end, the breakdown of West Ham’s move for Gomez is what allowed them to secure their club record signing of striker Sebastien Haller, announced on Wednesday. Many prognosticators have argued that the Frenchman is a superior player to the former Celta Vigo man anyway, so there won’t be too many Hammers fans upset with how this all played out.
