Manuel Pellegrini Reveals Adrian Rejected New West Ham Deal Before Joining Liverpool

West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini has revealed that the club tried to keep hold of goalkeeper Adrian, but the player turned down a new contract prior to his move to Liverpool.

The Spaniard moved to Anfield following the departure of Simon Mignolet, and has enjoyed a frenetic start to his career on Merseyside.

First, he replaced the injured Alisson in Liverpool's Premier League opener against Norwich, before saving Tammy Abraham's fifth and final penalty to defeat Chelsea 5-4 in their UEFA Super Cup clash in Istanbul.

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But it's now been revealed by former manager Pellegrini that the 32-year-old turned down the opportunity to extend his contract with the Hammers, after six years at the club.

"The different things why he did not continue here, you must ask him, his agent or the sporting director," Pellegrini began, as quoted by football.London.

"He was always a player who was positive and committed to this club. I am happy for him. It is difficult for me to talk about something I was not involved in. We offered Adrian to stay here to improve his contract.

"They did not find an arrangement. From both sides there were different reasons."

Adrian was initially a regular starter at West Ham, but spent the entirety of last season looking on from the bench as Lukasz Fabianski assumed the number one spot after his move from Swansea.

The Spaniard made 150 appearances during his time at the London Stadium, becoming a firm fans favourite and cult hero after inspiring West Ham to victory over Everton in an FA Cup third round penalty shootout - in which he scored the winning spot-kick.

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Ironically, he is once against in the limelight for his penalty heroics for Liverpool - but he could miss their next game against Southampton after an overzealous fan accidentally injured his ankle in the aftermath of the game.