Kevin Nolan, former West Ham captain and first team coach over the last four years, has spoken for the first time since leaving the club after revealing that new manager Julen Lopetegui turned down the opportunity to keep him as part of the coaching setup.
The club announced at the end of the season that David Moyes was leaving after his four and a half year second spell in East London, speculation about Moyes’ future and whether he would get a new deal or part ways with the club had been discussed in the media for months.
Prior to Julen Lopetegui’s official announcement as the club’s new manager earlier this week, it had also been announced that eight members of the first team staff would also be leaving the club. This included fan favourite former Hammers skipper Kevin Nolan.
Nolan is still well loved amongst the club’s fan base, many supporters were hoping he could be kept at the club in some capacity. Speaking on BBC 5 Live Sport’s Friday Football Social, Nolan broke his silence on the situation revealing that he wanted to stay on at the club under Lopetegui however the 57 year old opted against keeping him.
Nolan said: “To be back at West Ham meant an awful lot to me. I think it’s about nine years now I spent playing and coaching.” He went on to add: “For me, receiving the news on Monday was a bitter blow. It was disappointing on my behalf because I wanted to stay. But as we all know, it’s football and that’s it. That’s done now and we look forward and start thinking about the future,” as reported in West Ham Zone.
Nolan, who made more than 150 appearances for the club as a player, says he wants to try and become a number one somewhere but is also open to working as part of the coaching set up at a Premier League side if an opportunity was to present itself. Nolan maintains, despite being disappointed at his West Ham departure, he holds no bitterness towards the club and is ‘excited’ to see what opportunities await him next.
