• Premier League

Diarra: I've wasted my time at West Ham

ESPN staff
January 22, 2013
Alou Diarra has not fitted in at West Ham © Getty Images
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West Ham United outcast Alou Diarra has told L'Equipe he has "wasted" his time with the Hammers and must leave the Premier League club for the good of his career.

Diarra, 31, moved to West Ham from Marseille for €2.5 million last summer an established France international, but has slipped out of the plans of national team boss Didier Deschamps after a disappointing six months in London.

After making five appearances in all competitions for his new club, the former Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Lyon and Bordeaux midfielder is already looking for a way out.

"I want to leave. I've tried to stay positive right up to now. I want a real challenge, and I won't get it at West Ham," Diarra said. "With the current coach in charge, it's impossible. No-one's told me directly, but I'm not stupid. I'm not part of his plans. I have to leave.

"Some clubs have already contacted West Ham. I'm not afraid to change countries. It'll still be better than here.

"The objective is to get back playing. Last year, I played some 60 games. At West Ham, I've wasted my time."

Diarra, who did not make a first-team appearance in his three-year spell at Anfield, pointed the finger at an agent commissioned by West Ham as being the main reason for a second failed attempt at establishing himself in England.

"He arrived in a private jet at Marseille, and promised me the world. What he said was attractive. It was England, London, West Ham, a popular club with a real identity. It was the chance to establish myself in the Premier League. I didn't think too much about it, I just trusted him," he said. "After a few weeks, I realised that there had been a lot of lies. I've been had."

An icy relationship with manager Sam Allardyce has not helped either. Diarra, who admitted he had not spoken to Allardyce before joining West Ham, feels the former Bolton Wanderers and Newcastle United boss could have done more to help him settle at Upton Park.

"Certain people have said that I haven't been able to establish myself, but they don't know the reality of my situation. To establish myself, I have to have the chance to do so.

"In every club I've been at, I've always had a chat with the coach to find out what he expected of me, how the team plays, my position etc. Since I arrived, I've never spoken to the manager. It's just 'hello' and 'goodbye'. There's no dialogue, no explanation."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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