Former West Ham ace explains how £7m transfer led to him winning a Premier League title

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Sometimes, a footballer just knows when his time at a club has come to an end, as was the case for a former Premier League stalwart at West Ham United.

On a day when Alphonse Areola reflected proudly on becoming a Hammers centurion, another former London Stadium goalkeeper opened up on how his departure came about.

Adrian San Miguel, or just Adrian as he is most commonly known, spent six years at West Ham United from 2013 to 2019.

And, having amassed 150 appearances for the club, Areola is still some way off matching Adrian’s tally.

While Areola has forced his way back into the starting XI though – Nuno continues to omit Mads Hermansen in favour of the experienced Frenchman – there would be no coming back for Adrian once Lukasz Fabianski joined from Swansea City in a £7 million deal back in 2018.

The Seville-born shot-stopper went from 19 Premier League appearances in 2017/18 to none during Fabianski’s debut campaign.

He would then leave for a backseat role at Liverpool – soon to be league champions under Jurgen Klopp – once his contract expired that following summer.

Adrian explains how Lukasz Fabianski played a role in his West Ham United exit

Now, speaking to El Correo, Adrian admits that his Hammers exit was partly due to Fabianski’s arrival – though he has no complaints about having lost his place to a Polish powerhouse in his prime – and also some unsuccessful contract talks.

“My departure from West Ham was circumstantial,” the now-38-year-old says. “I’d been there for six seasons, I was one of the captains, one of the most experienced players on the team, but it was my last year.

“In the end, it was a somewhat complicated final year of my contract because negotiations didn’t go well from the start, and that’s when Manuel [Pellegrini] arrived.

“Since it was my last season, I gave him my word that I would keep fighting for my place and keep competing, but it’s true that the contract situation didn’t help my personal life on a daily basis.

“I trained, I pushed myself, I was always available, but that’s how I ended up only being able to play in the cup matches. “Fabianski also arrived that season, started playing well, and it was normal that kept Lukasz [stayed] in goal.

“From then on, I had to make the decision to leave, and well, a short time later Manuel also left the club.”

Real Betis veteran Adrian was reunited with Manuel Pellegrini in La Liga

Adrian would reunite with Pellegrini a few seasons later, though. After winning a Premier League, an EFL Cup and a Club World Cup amongst others at Liverpool, the Real Betis academy graduate rejoined his old club under a very familiar face.

“It’s true that he had a lot to do with my arrival at Betis,” Adrian admits. “Clearly, he already knew me from that period [at West Ham].

“He knew what I was like personally, how I like to work, and knowing that that season wasn’t easy for me, I never changed my attitude.

“I was always firm until my last day at the club.

“That opportunity arose last season, to come [back to Betis] after Liverpool, even though I had the option to stay because they offered me another year. “But I was clear about what my path had to be. Just like in 2013, when I had to leave, now it was time to come back.”

Pablo Fornals back in Spain squad thanks to stunning Betis form

Real Betis are only five points behind fourth-place Atletico Madrid in the La Liga table.

A former teammate of his in East London, Pablo Fornals has been in ‘spectacular’ form for Pellegrini’s Champions League-chasing outfit this season.

Like Adrian, Fornals reflects fondly on his time with West Ham. The now-29-year-old midfielder refuses to buy into the narrative that his international prospects were harmed by the Hammers, even as he looks to end his four-year wait for a Spain cap in Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier against Turkey.

“With Luis Enrique, I had the opportunity to play [for Spain] during my time with Villarreal and later with West Ham,” Fornals told Onda Cero.

“I’ve had the opportunity to play for the national team at every club I’ve been at. Without meaning to diminish any of them, they weren’t teams that competed for league titles.

“For me, the fact that the coaches looked beyond that and saw that there was a kid playing for a team in East London, without being a media darling, was impressive.”