Real Betis midfielder Pablo Fornals has insisted he has no ill will towards West Ham United, instead still thinking of them highly after his time at the club.
The Spaniard has been speaking to the club’s official website, relayed by Diario de Sevilla, about his time at Betis so far and his move from West Ham in January.
He joined Betis at the end of the January transfer window in an €8m, last-minute deal that had to be ratified by FIFA after the window had closed because of a computer issue at West Ham that also affected Said Benrahma’s move to Lyon.
It was eventually approved, and Fornals made a return to Spain, bringing an end to a five year stay at the London Stadium.
He had joined West Ham in a €28m deal from Villarreal in July 2019, when current Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini was in charge no less and went on to make 203 appearances for the club, scoring 23 and assisting 19.
It seems he has no issue with that, though, and instead will always think highly of the club from here on out.
“The truth is that I had to pray for everything that happened and how it happened, but in the end, I think it made us all want to be here even more,” he said.
“I owe West Ham a lot. They gave me the opportunity of a lifetime, to fulfil my dream. I have played more than 150 games with them, we have played European nights, magical nights, Europa League semi-finals, winning the Conference League…
“In the end, you can never leave angry or sad from a place that has given you everything and that you have also given or left everything on your part.
“But well, there came a time when the club grew a lot and decided to bring in players paying a lot for them. In the end, that makes your position more competitive, and you don’t enjoy all the minutes you would like.”
