In an exclusive interview with Get French Football News, Thilo Kehrer (27), currently on loan at AS Monaco from West Ham United, reflected on his time with the Hammers, and specifically the club’s UEFA Europa Conference League success.
How would you evaluate your time at West Ham?
I had a good time at West Ham, even if it was just one-and-a-half years, I really enjoyed the people, the club, the mentality, the supporters, my teammates and everyone with whom I worked. It was a particular atmosphere with lots of professionalism and an appreciation for football and for the competition that is incomparable with other countries. People’s perceptions of players are different than in other countries, it is really something that I like in England. We had difficult periods, but in the Europa Conference League, we won a big title and wrote history for the club, after so many years without a title and so many years that the club was so far away from even thinking about a title. When you see West Ham today, it is no longer the same club, or it is but it is seen in a completely different light. There is pride in having helped create that with my teammates and the staff.
Having featured so frequently in the lead-up to the final, was it a disappointment not to start?
Having played in the matches leading up to the final, there was a big disappointment in not starting in the final of the Conference League. The more the game approached, the more I managed to change my emotion from frustration and disappointment into something positive and competitive – to want to win with the team and help the team to do it as soon as they counted on me. It was slightly bizarre, even before the match, I had this feeling and the assistant manager told me that I had to be ready to come off the bench because it was possible that the team would need me.
But even before that, I had this feeling that I’d have some playing time in the final. When it happened, there was 25/30 minutes left. The final was decided in that time. It was an important phase of the match and I managed to transform my emotions into something positive and put myself at the service of the team. Even if there was disappointment before the match, the joy by the end was even bigger.
Would you say that it is the crowning moment of your career so far?
It is difficult to choose one moment; there have been so many special moments and very positive ones with lots of emotions, but it is definitely in the top three.
