Alessandro Diamanti is one of the characters many people will remember from a long list of Italians in the Premier League. Arriving at West Ham in 2009 he didn’t stay long and was gone the following year.
In the 2009/10 season he played 29 matches for West Ham. He scored eight goals and added six assists.
Diamanti was gone at the start of the following season. Having made an appearance in the opening match against Aston Villa, he was then sold.
Brescia paid more than €3m for the now 45-year-old. He didn’t stay there long either and regrets leaving West Ham and the Premier League. Diamanti has now explained Marcello Lippi told him he needed the move.
In order to be considered for Italy, a return to Serie A was advised.
Leaving West Ham was a mistake
Alessandro Diamanti looks on
during the UEFA Euro 2012
ITALY v Republic of IRELAND at the Municipal Stadium.
Moving to West Ham had been something of a dream, but the national team was more so.
Sunday’s edition of Gazzetta dello Sport has an interview with Diamanti. On Moving to West Ham, he said: “A movie. I was with Livorno, president Spinelli didn’t want to let me go. We got to the last day of the transfer window.
“He called us to his office in Genoa and started negotiating. Every half hour he changed his mind. ‘I can’t, my son would be disappointed.’ Then after a while he’d give in. ‘Okay, I’ll sell you, but how much money were we talking about?’ I think I signed at midnight. The president was unique.”
On being pushed to leave, Diamanti explained: “Leaving the Premier League was a mistake. But again, no regrets: a bad choice. I was happy, but I did it for the national team. Lippi said that to have a chance, I had to play in Italy, so I went to Brescia.”
Alessandro Diamanti is currently coaching Melbourne City Youth. He played in Australia at the end of a varied career that saw him represent 11 Italian clubs. Added to that is two in England (West Ham and a later Watford loan), China and Australia.
