Edvin Austbo reveals how West Ham reacted to his controversial comments that caused uproar
Edvin Austbo previously dropped a clanger when speaking about his West Ham future.
The Norwegian only joined the Hammers in August, for an undisclosed fee from Viking FK.
He has already had an impact, with one goal and one assist in four Championship games, showing that he can compete with Manor Solomon on the left.
Austbo signed a four-year deal at the London Stadium, but he suggested that he could move on shortly.
The 21-year-old's comments proved to be controversial, with supporters questioning his motivation.
He has now shared how the hierarchy in East London reacted to the potential exit claims.
What has Edvin Austbo said after West Ham exit controversy?
Austbo had admitted that he wanted to join a "bigger club" in the future.
Speaking with Stavanger Aftenblad last month, he said: “I’d like to play for an even bigger club in the future, even though West Ham is huge.
"The goal is to become so good that they have to sell me, but first, we’re going to achieve a few things here along the way.”
However, he has now clarified the comments, in an attempt to defuse the situation.
In Thursday's edition of the same outlet, he said: “I realised it was mostly on social media. The club didn’t take issue with the comments either.
“That’s how it is in football when small remarks are taken out of context, so it wasn’t a problem for me.”
The fact that the leadership in E20 are not too concerned suggests that there is little to worry about at this point.
Nils Koppen, the Director of Player Recruitment clearly rates him very highly, speaking in September he said: "With us being the dominant team this season, we think he can make the difference in smaller spaces, he’s tricky and can play both sides.”
Why Austbo's latest comments should not prove an issue
For starters, Austbo has admitted that his comments were taken out of context and reaffirmed that is all is good with the Irons at the moment.
However, his words make sense, he wants to play at the highest level, and hopefully that can happen with the Hammers.
While the heights of Europe may seem like a distant dream for Nuno Espirito Santo's side at the moment, fortunes can change very quickly in football.
The Hammers know all about that, winning the UEFA Conference League in 2023, then being relegated three years later.
As long as they continue to match Austbo's ambition, and secure promotion back to the Premier League, he should not push for an exit as he will be playing at the elite level then.
If they fail to do and bigger clubs come in, then they may have an issue on his hands, but for that to happen, he probably has to play really well and help in the push to the top of the second-tier, so it is a win-win situation.