With hundreds (probably) of articles having been written about Simone Zaza and a potential early exit from West Ham following a very difficult start to his loan at the London Stadium, it’s easy for some things to get lost in translation.
The striker, who was first reported as a target for Napoli before they decided to opt for Leonardo Pavoletti, is now an alleged target for Valencia in Spain, with Cesare Prandelli making it very clear he would like the Juventus striker for his side.
Despite this, we never fully expected the club to publicly admit doing so, which is why we found it strange when Calciomercato reported that Bilic had done just that in his press conference on Thursday.
The Italian website report Bilic as saying: “(Release clause) redemption after 14 appearances? That’s the reason why he’s not been in the group for the last few games. He has a specific contract. I’ll speak with him today about his future and the situation. We’ll find the right solution.”
While Bilic did, in fact, say those words, Calciomercato have, for reasons only known to them, completely twisted the subject matter.
Thanks to Darren Lewis from The Mirror, who was at the press conference and clarified the situation to Sport Witness, Bilic’s exact words were: “He’s injured and that’s why he was not in the squad for the last few games. He’s started running, he’s got a very specific contract which I will discuss with him.
“I don’t know but I will talk today about his contract situation and find a solution.”
Frankly, we have no idea how this got twisted so much, but this shows how easily it can be done.
Still, Bilic’s words won’t have filled Zaza with a lot of confidence…
