West Ham United goalkeeper David Martin ‘gutted’ to be released
West Ham United have released four senior players in their 2022 retained list announced on Friday (27 May) including goalkeeper David Martin.
The 36-year-old is a lifelong Hammers supporter and the son of former Irons number one Alvin who played between 1978 and 1996 at the Boleyn Ground.
During his time at the London Stadium, Martin only made five appearances in the 2019-20 season as West Ham struggled for a goalkeeper but he did keep a clean sheet away at Chelsea which famously left him in tears on the pitch at Stamford Bridge.
The Romford-born shot-stopper, who joined from Millwall in 2019, took to Twitter to say a fond farewell to his boyhood club as he joined Andriy Yarmolenko, Ryan Fredericks and Mark Noble in leaving the club as a player.
Gutted to be leaving West Ham. I thank God every day that I’ve been a part of a club that is so close to mine and my family’s heart, Martin said.
“I move on to a new challenge but this isn’t the end as I’ll support the team till the day I die. Thanks to the fans for their massive support.”
Reliable
He may have only played five times for us but there won’t have been many Hammers fans who will have desperately wanted him not to play had he needed to.
He knew he was going to be the third choice at best when he arrived with Lukasz Fabianski having a stronghold on the number one jersey and his situation hasn’t been helped by the arrivals of Darren Randolph or more recently Alphonse Areola.
But you won’t hear a bad word said about Martin by anyone at the club, whether that be a staff member, fellow player or supporter and he leaves the club with our best wishes.
It won’t be a surprise to anyone if, by the time the first home game comes around in the 2022-23 season, Martin is in the crowd at the London Stadium cheering his former teammates and his boyhood club onto victory (unless he finds a club before then).
It would be a shame if no one were to pick him up on a free transfer because he still has a lot to offer the right club and maybe one day he’ll come back to haunt the Hammers further down the line.
In other West Ham news, the latest reports suggest that this Irons ace will not be sold this summer despite reports suggesting otherwise.
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