West Ham United have missed out on the chance to bring Jordan Torunarigha to the Premier League with KAA Gent confirming the defender’s £3.5 million return to Belgium, as reported by Het Laaste Nieuws.
The former Germany U21 international spent the second half of last season on loan at the Ghelamco Arena. And the fifth-best side in Belgium obviously left a lasting impression on Torunarigha.
Because, rather than embark upon a new adventure in Germany or England, the Hertha Berlin misfit jumped at the chance to pick up where he left off across the border, signing a contract until 2025 on Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s nice to be back. I feel good here. It was clear that a transfer was the best choice,” says Torunarigha, explaining the role CEO Michel Louwagie and coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck played in convincing him to reject offers from elsewhere.
“What convinced me? Michel and the coach called me almost every day. I felt they absolutely wanted me. That gives me a lot of confidence.
“The coach (Vanhaezebrouck) has a great personality. He has his own ideas – that’s what I like. Whether you play good or bad, he says it like it is. During my last match last season for AA Gent, he also gave me a round of applause and urged the audience to applaud.
“I had never experienced that. It was an emotional moment.”
West Ham United miss out on Jordan Torunarigha
According to HLN, Gent will pay an initial fee of £3 million, rising to £3.5 million, for a left-footed central defender who represented Germany at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
This comes after the Berliner Zeitung reported that West Ham United had submitted a ‘proposal’ for Torunarigha. The 24-year-old’s decision to put pen to paper with Gent instead, however, could have implications for Issa Diop’s future at the London Stadium.
The Times say that Fulham are in talks over a potential £20 million deal for Diop. The Cottagers may be forced to go back to the drawing board, however, with the Frenchman’s successor slipping through David Moyes’ fingers.
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