Former West Ham goalkeeper Darren Randolph has revealed that he was convinced that the time was right to leave the East London club following the arrival of Joe Hart on loan from Manchester City.
Though Randolph was first choice keeper for the Hammers for the majority of last season, he ended up losing his place in the team towards the end of the campaign to Adrian.
The 30-year-old, who has since joined Middlesbrough for £5 million, has now revealed that a desire to play regularly and in the World Cup next summer for the Republic of Ireland motivated his move.
He said, “I wasn’t going to hang around and warm the bench. It’s a World Cup year, the Republic of Ireland have a good position in the group and if I have any kind of dreams to play in the World Cup then I need to be playing games.”
“It wouldn’t have happened so often if I stayed at West Ham as it was made clear, so I wasn’t going to just sit on the bench and take up a place and possibly miss out on chance to playing at a World Cup. I had to do what that was best for me and that happens in football so I had to leave.”
Had he remained at the London Stadium, he would have in all probability been third choice shot-stopper at the start of the campaign and leaving West Ham seems to be the right choice.
