Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed that West Ham United wanted to keep Adrian this summer after the Spaniard guided Liverpool to Super Cup glory on Wednesday.
The Hammers’ boss admitted that he was happy for the keepers’ newfound success at the Premier League giants, and praised the impact he has on his teammates.
Pellegrini confirmed in Thursday’s press conference as quoted by Football.London that he wanted Adrian to stay but that the Hammers couldn’t find an agreement with the stopper.
“I think that he is a very good goalkeeper, for different reasons he couldn’t find an arrangement to continue here but we wanted him here. He’s not just a good keeper but for the squad also,” he said.
Adrian managed to make 150 appearances during his stint at West Ham, and managed to keep 43 clean-sheets but was released from his deal at the end of last season.
OPINION
There is definitely no doubting that West Ham would have wanted to keep a hold of Adrian this summer, but they cannot be disappointed that he is excelling elsewhere. Either way, the Spaniard would not have been playing if he remained in East London, with Lukas Fabianski having secured the keeper spot at West Ham since his arrival from Swansea. Fabianski won the Hammer of the Year award during his first campaign after having a great effect at the London Stadium – and Adrian was most likely concerned at his playing time, something a move to Liverpool definitely didn’t offer at first. West Ham have clearly found a better more sustainable plan by replacing Adrian with Roberto and David Martin, with both new stoppers offering much more support for the Polish international. Everyone involved with the Hammers will clearly be happy for Adrian but they will know just like everyone else, that his time in between the sticks at Anfield will be short-lived once Alisson Becker returns.