‘Couldn’t really believe it’ – PL rival talent speaks out over West Brom summer signing
Jack Wilshere has admitted that he and his West Ham teammates “couldn’t really believe” that Grady Diangana was allowed to join West Brom this summer.
The 22-year-old winger was at the centre of contentious transfer saga that eventually saw him make the move from east London to the midlands for a fee of around £18 million earlier this month.
In the aftermath of that deal, Hammers captain Mark Noble tweeted that he was “gutted, angry and sad” about the development.
And Wilshere has backed his skipper over the controversial post.
Speaking to The Times, he said: “Nobes was just speaking on behalf of the team.
“As a captain he can have that power and that voice for us. We were all frustrated.
“I remember when Grady first come into the team two seasons ago and he was really exciting. He wanted to play more, last season went out on loan and did really well.
“He came back in pre-season and he was on fire. The lads were talking about him in training and really excited about him being part of the team and then, all of a sudden, he came in and said he’s leaving and we were like ‘what?!’ We couldn’t really believe it.”
It’s hardly a surprise to see Wilshere voice his displeasure at Diangana leaving.
In fact, at the time, the former Arsenal man even went as far as to urge the winger to go and play his football at a club that “respects” him.
And any anger that the Irons have over the deal will only be intensified by Diangana’s start to life in the Premier League with the Baggies.
His goal against Everton last weekend was an absolute peach, and as Clinton Morrison pointed out yesterday, he is a “bright prospect” with the potential to be a real asset for Albion in the coming months.
We completely understand Wilshere’s frustration, but the Hammers’ loss is our gain.
In other West Brom news, Incredible 25yo makes up for stinker from mainstay: 3 things we learned from West Brom v Chelsea.
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