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Adrian rejected three contract offers from West Ham United prior to announcing his departure from the club, per Football.London.
What’s the word?
The Spanish goalkeeper is set to leave the club upon the expiration of his current deal, on June 30.
Adrian has made a total of 150 appearances for the Irons but made just five appearances in the 2018-19 season and was on the bench for every single Premier League outing, with Lukasz Fabianski becoming the club’s undisputed No.1.
He played in both games in the club’s FA Cup run, including the embarrassing 4-2 defeat to AFC Wimbledon, while he also started all three of the club’s Carabao Cup clashes.
Having made 22 appearances in total in 2017-18, Adrian is now set to depart in search of first-team football.
But Football.London claim that he could well have stayed at the club, with the Irons making overtures to tie him down to a new deal.
In 2017/18, he was offered a £45,000-per-week contract on two separate occasions, both of which were rejected. A final offer of £55,000-per-week plus a number of bonuses, including a £15,000-per-week appearance bonus, was extended in the summer but, upon its rejection, the club signed Fabianski from Swansea City.
The report claims that he is keen to return to Spain with La Liga outfit Real Betis, though they already have two goalkeepers in Pau Lopez and ex-Everton man Joel Robles.
Sealed his own exit
Adrian is something of a cult hero at West Ham but fans cannot accuse the club of simply allowing him to leave.
They attempted to tie him down to a new deal and Football.London claim that he was told that, if he didn’t sign the final contract offer, a new goalkeeper would be signed.
That is as straightforward as it comes.
That he turned it down led to the signing of Fabianski, who went on to become the Hammer of the Year, and deservedly so.
Adrian, then, sealed his own exit at the London Stadium and it is of little surprise that he is now on his way out.
It remains to be seen if he can earn a move to a club where he will be first-choice again but if he doesn’t then he has no one to blame but himself.