Duje Caleta-Car has finally broken his silence after West Ham failed to sign him from Marseille on transfer deadline day in January.
The Hammers were pushing hard to sign the 25-year-old centre-back last month.
Caleta-Car was consistently linked with a move to West Ham last summer and in January (Tuttomercatoweb and The Daily Mail amongst others).
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The Croatian international was allegedly available for just £14 million (The Daily Mail). In the end though, David Moyes failed to bring him to the London Stadium.
West Ham wanted to sign him on loan but Marseille wouldn’t budge and would only entertain a permanent transfer.
Caleta-Car breaks silence after failed West Ham transfer
The 25-year-old ended up staying with the Ligue 1 outfit after the Hammers tried to prise him away from the French Riviera.
David Moyes desperately needed to sign a top-class centre-back and the Croatian would have been the ideal addition to his ranks at the London Stadium.
And Caleta-Car spoke to reporters about his failed switch to East London from Marseille, as quoted by Le10 Sport:
“Every transfer window, I’m involved. They take about me in the press, they say I’m going to leave, but I’m still here. There can be offers, but the three parties need to be in agreement. Each transfer window, I’m talked about. Honestly, I’m tired of talking about it. I’ve been here for four years, I’m happy to be here. Yes, I’ve had interesting opportunities that didn’t go through, so when the moment comes, we’ll see, but I’m not thinking about it.”
Missing out on Caleta-Car in January was a huge shame.
Angelo Ogbonna is out for the entire season with an ACL injury whilst Issa Diop has been absolutely woeful this term.
Meanwhile, Kurt Zouma must be struggling to deal with the fallout from the video that emerged showing him mistreating his cat.
The 25-year-old is tall and commanding in the air and very comfortable with the ball at his feet as well. He is a very strong all-round defender and he would have improved the Hammers’ back-line immeasurably. Well-renowned football analysis and scouting website IBWM recently described Caleta-Car as an ‘exceptional talent’.
For just £14 million, the Marseille ace would have been a brilliant addition for West Ham. Who knows, perhaps we will go back in for him in the summer.
It does kind of feel like the Hammers have missed the boat with this one though.
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