Sebastien Haller has spoken for the first time since leaving West Ham United for Ajax.
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Some West Ham United fans thought flop striker Haller looked like his mind was elsewhere when he was playing for them.
And they were probably right.
That’s if Haller’s first interview since leaving West Ham is anything to go by.
Haller admits he knew about Ajax move ‘months ago’
Speaking to the official Ajax website, Haller admitted he knew about his move to the Dutch giants ‘months ago’.
And the man West Ham have taken a £25m hit on even admitted he kept in regular contact with Ajax boss Erik ten Hag – his old manager at Utrecht – leading up to the move.
The admission surely won’t sit well with West Ham fans given Haller’s lacklustre and ineffective displays this season.
“This is a club that you can perform, you can play Champions League, you can fight for the title every season so that’s a winning mentality that is always fine (good) for a striker,” Haller told Ajax’s website.
‘I just had to be patient’
“To be honest it’s already a few months, a few months that I knew it (about the move to Ajax). So I always stay in contact with the coach, we spoke because we know we had a good relation before in Utrecht.
“We always spoke between each other so of course when I knew that the deal was possible, I was happy. I just had to be patient (and) with the situation now things were possible so they tried to make the move.”
Haller’s frank admission will be galling for some West Ham fans.
As the club’s record signing there were high hopes for Haller.
Admission will be galling for fans who were divided over £45m striker
But he scored 10 Premier League goals from 34 games. Haller divided opinion at West Ham – and undoubtedly will long after his departure.
Many West Ham fans felt he was lazy, too passive, slow and did not use his powerful frame to the team’s advantage.
Others feel he was mismanaged from the start at West Ham and played in an unfamiliar lone striker role with a lack of service.
Ironically Haller told Ajax’s website his biggest attribute is his ‘strength’.
Some West Ham fans fear Haller will now go on to be a big success. But others point out scoring goals in the vastly inferior Dutch league cuts little ice compared to the English top flight.
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