West Ham United wanted to sign defender Guillermo Maripan this summer.
Alaves defender Guillermo Maripan has told Mundo Deportivo that he ‘felt a little awkward’ about the situation of a potential move to West Ham United.
Maripan, 25, thrived in his native Chile with Universidad Catolica, before heading to Spain with Alaves in 2017 – and he’s become a star there.
The 6ft 4in centre back has excelled with Alaves over the last two years, sparking major interest in his signature as a result.
In fact, his agent even claimed to AS earlier this year that Barcelona are big fans of Maripan, but it was West Ham who showed the most interest.
Boss Manuel Pellegrini may well know his compatriot from back in Chile, and the Hammers were keen to lure him to the London Stadium to bolster his back line – which he eventually did by signing Goncalo Cardoso instead.
The Sun noted that West Ham’s £13.5million bid for Maripan was rejected this summer, and they weren’t able to get a new move over the line despite various rumours.
Now, Maripan has admitted that the saga made him a ‘little awkward’, as he’d rather not have that kind of speculation hanging over him, but has now told his boss and teammates that he’s fully committed to Alaves.
Maripan added that he doesn’t know if he will see out the whole season at Alaves because you can never say anything for certain in football – and West Ham would be wise to keep tabs on his situation.
“I felt a little awkward, because I like that these things of transfers are resolved quickly,” said Maripan. “I only know that today I am a Alavés player, that my mind is here one hundred percent and that is what I have made known to the coach and my teammates.”
“Today I am a Alavés player and that’s how I feel; I would like to answer that for sure, but many things happen in football,” he added when asked if he will complete the whole season with Alaves.
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