West Ham wanted to keep me, says Ayew

  • by Staff Writer
  • Friday, 9th February 2018

Andre Ayew says it was a very difficult decision to decide to leave West Ham at the end of the January transfer window.

The Ghanaian international returned to former club Swansea in an £18million deal on the final day of the January transfer window - but insists that leaving United was a tough decision to make.

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"West Ham did everything to get me to stay and we spoke a lot but I felt I wanted to move on for personal and professional reasons," he said. "There were a lot of things in the press but it was the other way around, it was very difficult for me to leave the club.

"There were long discussions but in the end, I managed to make it happen so I was quite happy."

One of several African players at West Ham, Ayew admits he was shocked when the story regarding Tony Henry's thoughts on players of African origin was published. However he doesn't think that will affect the players at the club unduly.

"I haven’t spoken to anyone at West Ham, but it’s our job as footballers to play," he added. "West Ham have taken a decision and I know the African players are going to fight for their club. I know them really well and I know they are going to stick to their team and help them.

"We African players are proud of ourselves, we know where we have come from and we believe in our football. You can see African players have played at the greatest clubs in the world and done their jobs.

“I didn’t pay attention to players coming in or out [at West Ham]. There were a few African players there and I know them very well. For me, it’s an honour to be an African."

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