Jack Colback admits he had the chance to join West Ham United rather than make the controversial switch from Sunderland to bitter Premier League rivals Newcastle in the summer of 2014.
Last summer, Mohammed Kudus became the first to leave West Ham for Tottenham since Scott Parker crossed the London divide 14 years previously.
Thus, with that highly-contentious £54.5 million transfer, the Ghana international wrecked his reputation in the eyes of a once adoring West Ham United fanbase.
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When Jack Colback made the short trip from Sunderland to Newcastle, the former midfield stalwart ended an even longer tradition. The first to swim from the Wear to the Tees since goalkeeper Lionel Perez in 1998.
Jack Colback chose Newcastle over West Ham United in 2014
Speaking on the Under the Cosh podcast, the recently-retired Colback lifted the lid on a move which took the north east by storm. He also admits that, before putting pen to paper at St James’ Park, West Ham had come forward with an approach of their own.
That Colback was a boyhood Newcastle supporter obviously played a pretty big role too.
“The statement [Sunderland] put out basically said they’d offered me everything I demanded and all this; just nonsense, really, because that wasn’t the case,” begins Colback, who left the Stadium of Light under a cloud after failing to agree a new deal.
“It was their opportunity to turn the narrative, and people believe what they read. People see something and that’s it.
“Regardless of me going to Newcastle, I knew what was going to come of that. When I look at it now, I had the courage to do it that not many people probably would.”
“A six-year deal [at Newcastle], you know? But yeah, it was one of them, I just got on with it. I could have gone to West Ham; an easy move, living in London, no one knows who you are, that sort of thing.
“They actually offered more money. There was a better deal there. So, I didn’t go for the money, I suppose.”
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Alex Song and Cheikhou Kouyate shone under Slaven Bilic
West Ham would sign Cheikhou Kouyate in a £7 million deal from Anderlecht a few days after Colback swapped red and white for black and white. Alex Song later joined on loan from Barcelona.
Considering that both Kouyate and Song would later play a key role in a fabulous Upton Park farewell under Slaven Bilic – the 2015/16 campaign is still the Hammers’ most successful in terms of points [a record 62 accumulated on the way to finishing seventh] – missing out on Colback is not something the Londoners would look back on with too much regret.
Flash forward to the present day, and club insider ExWHUemployee believes that Axel Disasi is keen to stay at West Ham permanently following a fine start to his loan spell.
Should that come to pass, Disasi would become only the third player to leave Chelsea for the Hammers on a full-time deal since Carlton Cole two decades ago, following in the footsteps of Emerson Palmieri and Kurt Zouna.
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