WEST HAM captain Mark Noble says he’s “gutted, angry and sad” after Grady Diangana completed a permanent move to West Brom on Friday.
Diangana has signed a five-year deal with the Baggies after the Hammers decided to accept a bid worth a minimum of £18million for their 22-year-old academy product.
Mark Noble posted this tweet after Grady Diangana was sold to West Brom
The West Ham skipper blasted his club for selling the talented academy productCredit: Rex Features
The decision sparked fury among the London club’s supporters – angry at one of their brightest young prospects being offloaded to bring in funds.
And Hammers skipper Noble vented his frustration on Twitter by blasting the club’s decision to sell one of their own to a relegation rival.
Noble raged in a tweet ‘liked’ by Declan Rice: “As captain of this football club I’m gutted, angry and sad that Grady has left, great kid with a great future!”
But West Ham defended offloading Grady to West Brom.
A statement read: “The decision to sell Grady has been made reluctantly but – ultimately – in the best interests of the club and with the aim to strengthen the squad in different areas at this time.
“The money received for Grady will be reinvested entirely in the team, in line with the manager’s targets.
“We believe that this will give us the best possible chance of ensuring we have a balanced squad to compete in the Premier League and capable of reaching our objectives and ambitions this season.”
But Hammers fans will still be angry that the club have attempted to explain Diangana’s sale by suggesting the winger was unable to beat off competition from a string of players – none of whom play in his position.
Declan Rice liked his captain’s angry tweet
Veteran midfielder Robert Snodgrass and outcast Felipe Anderson were highlighted as those he was up against in the battle for team selection.
The club added: “The 22-year-old winger, who spent last season on loan in the Championship at West Brom, departs after making a total of 21 first-team appearances for the Hammers since progressing from the Club’s Academy.
“He went on to make six Premier League starts that season, before heading to The Hawthorns on a season-long loan deal in August 2019 having found himself in competition with the likes of Felipe Anderson, Michail Antonio, Pablo Fornals, Robert Snodgrass and Andriy Yarmolenko for a wide attacking position, with Jarrod Bowen added to that list in January this year.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
