Spanish Report Claims West Ham Star Told Club He'd Leave if David Moyes Stayed
West Ham goalkeeper Adrián reportedly gave his employers a simple choice before the departure of manager David Moyes - if the manager didn't go, he would. Moyes left the club earlier this week, after guiding the Hammers to 13th place in the Premier League table.
According to Spanish sports newspaper Estadio Deportivo, the stopper 'made it clear' that he would look for a way out of the London Stadium if the Scot stayed in place.
It is no secret that the Spanish keeper became frustrated with his lack of starts this season - especially seeing as first choice Joe Hart made some high-profile errors. However, if this latest report is to be believed, Adrián's antipathy towards Moyes was even greater than had previously been thought.
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The Estadio Deportivo report adds: "With this new scenario, the continuity in the Premier League of San Miguel [i.e. Adrián] can be viable, although Betis wants their team to be Adrián-Pau if Adan finally leaves."
Explaining the cryptic 'Adrián-Pau' reference, the Sport Witness article adds that 23-year-old goalkeeper Pau Lopez is reportedly in the process of joining Real Betis from La Liga rivals Espanyol, so it is possible that they might want to have the two keepers - one up-and-coming, the other more experienced - competing for a starting berth.
Pau's impressive form this season may mean that, even if Adrián were to rejoin his former club Betis, he may not find it any easier to get game time in Spain than he did at the London Stadium, especially seeing as Betis are currently sixth in La Liga and could even finish in fifth place.
In addition, West Ham are reportedly interested in purchasing a new keeper, so it would seem that - even if Adrián did give the Hammers an ultimatum concerning his future at the club - he was not necessarily in a sufficiently strong position to do so.
In any case, it would not have been the first time he threatened to leave the club - he did so all the way back in November, yet he stayed beyond the January transfer window.
