Joan Jordán Turned Down Lucrative West Ham Contract Offer in Order to Stay in Spain

Sevilla midfielder Joan Jordán - a summer transfer target for West Ham - reportedly turned down a more lucrative offer in east London to remain in Spain.

Jordan impressed at Eibar during the 2018/2019 campaign - averaging just shy of two key passes a game and registering four assists - and his form reportedly attracted interest from a host of clubs over the summer.

Cheeky! 😀

🎯 Joan Jordan 🎯#AlavesSevillaFC pic.twitter.com/JbQj0l8AIV
— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) September 15, 2019

Arsenal were linked with a move for the 25-year-old at one stage, though it was West Ham who emerged as the biggest admirers of Jordán.

Spanish publication Estadio Deportivo now claim that Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini arranged a face-to-face meeting with the Spaniard in an attempt to complete the deal, but this wasn't enough to convince Jordán that a Premier League move was in his best interests - despite the club's financial firepower.

Instead, he opted to stay in Spain and joined Sevilla for a fee of around £12.6m. Jordán has subsequently revealed his motives for rejecting a move to the Premier League, in a recent interview with ABC.

"I would have earned a lot more in the Premier, but I wanted to come to Sevilla because they give me more as a club, a city, a team project… everything," he claimed.

"Sevilla ticked all the boxes in all aspects and going to the Premier [League] did not. The quality of life that I was going to have here was not going to be there. “I knew I was going to be very happy here, for the moment I am, and I hope I can continue like this.”

The 25-year-old will undoubtedly feel that he has made the right decision, having scored twice in La Liga this season - averaging close to a 90% pass completion rate under Julen Lopetegui and, more importantly, helping Sevilla reach the top of La Liga.