Such was the speed of his move from West Ham United to Sparta Prague, you would be right to assume that Andy Irving didn’t need much convincing. Especially after talking it over with Czech Republic icon Tomas Soucek.
In truth, it’s about time the Hammers gave something back to the Czech top-flight.
After plucking El Hadji Malick Diouf, Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek from one of Europe’s B-list leagues, Andy Irving moved in the other direction.
West Ham United sold the Scotland international to Sparta Prague, who are bankrolled by none other than Daniel Kretinsky, for a fee of just £1.3 million over the weekend [Claret and Hugh].
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With talks ongoing regarding Lucas Paqueta and Guido Rodriguez also attracting interest, few would have predicted that Andy Irving would be the next to leave in a busy January at the London Stadium.
Reports of Sparta’s interest only emerged in the media on Friday. Just 48 hours later, Czech legend-turned-sporting director Tomas Rosicky was welcoming Irving to Prague with open arms.
Tomas Soucek talked up Sparta Prague move for ex-West Ham United midfielder Andy Irving
Now, in conversation with iSport, Irving opens up on his rapid-fire departure, his World Cup hopes, and the role Tomas Soucek played in recommending a fresh start in Eastern Europe.
“[Soucek told me that Sparta] is a big team. He spoke very well, even though he clearly prefers another club!” Irving says of the former Slavia Prague captain.
“But we are friends. He was very positive about me going to Sparta. I think he knows me very well as a footballer and a professional.
“I spoke to a lot of people, like Jack Wilson, who is an analyst at Sparta. We’ve met before, we worked together at Heart of Midlothian, so I know him quite well. It was a nice phone call. I also remember Hearts playing Sparta many years ago when I was a kid and a fan, so I have no illusions about the size of the club.”
Irving hopes to earn a spot in Scotland’s World Cup squad
Irving is unlikely to be missed too greatly at West Ham. He played only 319 minutes of Premier League football across two seasons in East London. The Edinburgh-born 25-year-old seemingly slipped behind rising star Mohamadou Kante in the pecking order, having already found himself behind Mateus Fernandes, Freddie Potts, Tomas Soucek and Soungoutou Magassa.
Capped only once by his country, Irving admits that the chance to force his way into Scotland’s World Cup squad was a driving force behind his pursuit of a fresh start.
“After the first half of the season at West Ham, where I didn’t play that much, I knew I would have to leave in January because I wanted to have more chances to play,” Irving adds.
“The World Cup qualification was a big event for Scotland and my long-term ambition is to cement my place in the team.”
“For a long time, I felt that I missed playing regular football. It wasn’t; ‘Oh, we are [going to be relegated], I want to get out, get out of this.’ I made so many good relationships at the club, I loved the time I spent there. But Sparta are in a great position, playing in three competitions.
“It’s a lot, there is a lot of football ahead of us.”
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Guido Rodriguez and Soungoutou Magassa have interest
Sparta are seven points adrift of Slavia in the title race but remain well placed to secure a place in the knockout stages of the Conference League. Sparta have won four out of six European fixtures, including a 3-0 thrashing of Aberdeen in December.
“I think we started talking about two weeks ago,” Irving says, revealing when those conversations really began. “I first heard about it maybe a little earlier. Everything happened very quickly. First, I spoke to Tomas [Rosicky] and a few days later with Brian [Priske, head coach].
“Everything went fast. Really fast. I think on Thursday I had my last training session in London. On Friday, I said goodbye to everyone and flew to Prague. On Saturday, I had a medical. [I visited the] training ground, the stadium, photos, everything.
“I was very tired!”
West Ham have reportedly rejected a bid from Galatasaray for Magassa. Guido Rodriguez was heavily linked with Gremio and Valencia, amongst others, but the signs suggest that the Hammers would prefer to keep him having allowed Irving to depart.
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