Manchester United defender Harry Maguire explains why West Ham United move collapsed
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has opened up on his collapsed move to West Ham United in the summer transfer window.
West Ham agreed a £30million fee with their Premier League counterparts [Daily Mail, 9 August], only for a deal to then fall through.
Maguire was asked about his decision to stay at Old Trafford, where he remains way down the pecking order, rather than join the Hammers.
“How can I put this? We just didn’t come to an agreement,” he is quoted as saying by The Express [13 September].
“They were happy for me to stay and I was happy to fight for my place. I want to do that, and every time I train or play I will give everything.”
Think twice
Maguire’s comments came on the same day that West Ham coach Kevin Nolan revealed in an interview with talkSPORT that a deal for the centre-back was “very close”.
In the view of Nolan, “the money didn’t get sorted”, which suggests it was down to personal terms with the player as Man United were widely reported to have accepted West Ham’s bid.
Either way, the drawn-out saga came to an end with around two weeks of the transfer window left to run, giving the Irons time to bring in another central-defensive target in Konstantinos Mavropanos.
While he is not exactly as well known as Maguire, Mavropanos looks to be a good – and cheaper – fit for David Moyes’ side.
It may well be that West Ham go back in for Maguire next year, but having been led down the garden path by him once already, they should think twice before showing any interest.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers made a separate £30m bid for another Manchester United player in the summer window.