West Ham players react angrily to Diangana Exit

Many West Ham fans were angered when news broke that the club had accepted a bid for promising youngster Diangana, now the players are letting their thoughts known.

At the start of preseason, Diangana was showing West Ham and its fans exactly what they wanted. The winger was brilliant against Ipswich Town and Brentford, Diangana became the main source of excitement ahead of the new season.

Once the club accepted an £18 million bid from West Brom, it started a mass social media riot. The #GSBout became the number one trend in the country as fans showed their displeasure that one of the most promising players in the club was going to leave the club.

It is normal practice for fans to voice their opinions on club matters on social media, but it is not often players speak out against the club’s actions. But that trend seems to be breaking. West Ham captain Mark Noble voiced his displeasure at Diangana’s exit.

Noble said that he is “gutted, angry and sad” about the exit of the clubs promising attacker. The 33-year-old has known Diangana since the youngster joined and knows that he has the potential to have a “great future”.

The Captain’s tweet was liked by fellow midfielders Robert Snodgrass and Declan Rice, both of which have also said they are “gutted” to see Diangana go. The England international ‘liked’ the tweet while away on international duty. Rice would have been very close to Diangana, having come through the youth set-up with him.

Darren Randolph and Jack Wilshere are other players that have already made their disappointment with the deal known. Wilshere was a West Ham fan growing up and could have seen similarities in Diangana’s sale exit to that of the exits of Joe Cole and Frank Lampard.

The midfielder’s phrasing of “a club that respects you” could be seen as a direct attack on the current regime in charge of transfers. It has become clear to see that Diangana was a big part of the Hammers dressing room and that there could be disruption to the team caused by his sale.

The West Ham board will need to react quickly to get fans and players back on side. They are heading into what could be one of the most difficult seasons in the club’s recent history.