Darren Randolph says there was "a race" to see which of West Ham's two first team goalkeepers could arrange a transfer once it was confirmed the club would be signing Joe Hart.
The Irish international was speaking to the 42.ie following his £5million move to Championship side Middlesbrough, which followed the arrival of Hart from Manchester City.And he insists that was when both and Adrian, who remains at West Ham despite being made Hart's understudy, decided to look for an alternative club.
Embed from Getty Images
"I heard about Joe Hart coming in at the end of last season," he said. "I went away on holiday and then came back to Ireland for the Austria game.
"It was clear he was going to sign and that there was a race to see who could get out the door first.
"It was made clear that he was going to play so when it’s put to you as bluntly as it was [by Slaven Bilic] there was no point in me staying.
"I couldn’t expect to keep playing [for Ireland] if I’m not playing at club level, so that was definitely a factor."
Randolph's new side are currently ninth in the Championship with seven points from their opening five matches.
* Something to say about this story? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.
