Alessandro Diamanti had a one-year spell at West Ham between 2009 and 2010.
The Italian arrived from Livorno and played 27 Premier League games. He left for Brescia in 2010, having been convinced playing in Serie A would help his national team chances. Diamanti went on to play for multiple other clubs, including spells in China and Australia.
The ex-attacking midfielder is currently manager of Melbourne City’s U23 side.
He’s spoken to Fanpage about his career and touched upon his time at West Ham. Diamanti said he faced major language issues in London.
He told the outlet: “When I went to England, I was a kid. I’d never been out of Italy, just a kid in London. I struggled for the first two or three months, then once I settled in the dressing room, I did better on the pitch too.”
Speaking further, Diamanti explained how language barriers are different in England and Australia.
“I struggled a lot with the language; I didn’t know anything about English.
“The English don’t like it if you don’t speak it, unlike Australians. At the end of the first interview I did in Australia, the journalist told me not to learn English because he liked Italian-English, which drives him crazy.”
In 27 Premier League games for West Ham, Diamanti scored seven goals and added five assists.
After that, he scored six goals and assisted six times for Brescia.
