Angelo Ogbonna left West Ham United at the end of June, with his Hammers contract expiring.
Having spent nine years at the Premier League club it’s all going to be a big change for the defender as he looks to find a new experienced in football.
At 36-years-of-age, Ogbonna believes he has a lot left to give and is taking his time over choosing a new destination. Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, he explained that whilst he’s open to a return to Serie A he’s not excluding other options and is keeping his mind open.
The Italian newspaper also wanted to talk about the player’s West Have experience, and Ogbonna made it clear that he’s been very happy with the London club, both in his professional and private lives.
Asked if when moving to England he ever thought he’d make 200 appearances, Ogbonna said: “Never. Yet if I look back not only do I say that these nine years have flown by, but I also say that it was an immense honour to play so many games with West Ham. Winning the Conference League was the culmination of something crazy, incredible.”
Regarding his private life, the defender was asked what living in England had meant to him and his family, and it’s clear it’s a period they’ll all cherish: “Home. My two children were born in London. We live in Battersea, a neighbourhood with lots of greenery. My wife and I chose it for this reason, the children can spend a lot of time outdoors and do sports. It’s important for us.”
On likely having to leave that to continue his career elsewhere, Ogbonna said: “Everyone is sorry, but we are used to moving. It doesn’t matter where one is, but with whom.”
After such a long career in the Premier League it’s sometimes considered in Italy that Ogbonna didn’t get enough credit, even from people in the Italian media.
On that point he didn’t really want to elaborate too much: “It’s not for me to say. I know that I worked hard, it wasn’t easy to settle in, to become such a fast defender as the English championship requires. But then I did it and I think I had, apart from the last injury two years ago, my continuity.”
Strangely, Gazzetta dello Sport also asked Ogbonna if, living in London, he’d ever met Queen Elizabeth or Prince Willian, to which he explained he’s not really one for social occasions so didn’t have the chance.
