West Ham United reportedly wanted to bring Ajax’s Eredivisie champion Veltman to the Premier League.
Ajax defender Joel Veltman has admitted that he wanted to sign for West Ham United this summer, only to be told that the Eredivisie champions had no interest in letting him go, speaking to NOS.
Once considered one of the rising young full-backs in European football, a combination of poor form, injuries and the rise of Noussair Mazraoui have forced him down the pecking order at the Amsterdam giants.
Veltman made just four league starts last season as Ajax won the Dutch title for the first time in five years and a player perennially linked with a move to the Premier League has made it clear that, if he had his way, he’d have been wearing claret and blue this season.
“Everyone knows that I would like to play abroad,” said the 27-year-old. “West Ham United were interested, but there were more clubs too.
“However, Ajax put a stop to it. I was not allowed to leave. I also wanted to leave in 2018, but then I got injured.”
With Morrocan flyer Mazraoui suffering from fitness problems of his own in the first few weeks of 2019/20, Veltman has seized his chance to re-establish himself in Erik Ten Haag’s team, staring four of five Eredivisie matches so far.
West Ham, meanwhile, have been forced to put their faith in Ryan Fredericks though the former Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham right-back has started to prove his worth in the Premier League after a difficult debut season at the London Stadium.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
