Former West Ham winger, Stewart Downing, completed his return move to Middlesbrough earlier this summer, and has opened up about his preference not to move to Upton Park in 2013.
The then 29-year-old travelled to the capital for £5 million; a quarter of the fee Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool forked out for the midfielder, but Stew has revealed to the Daily Star that the option to stay was out of his hands.
“I wanted to stay and fight for my place,” Downing told the newspaper, citing his “hitting form” towards the end of the 2012-13 season as reason to give him hope of a Reds future.
“Brendan said he wanted me to stay, but the club told me that there was an offer from West Ham. I didn’t want to move.”
Despite being seemingly disappointed at settling for the West Ham colours, Downing enjoyed two fine seasons under Sam Allardyce and notching seven goals in all competitions; his first coming in the 2-0 home victory over bitter rivals Spurs in May 2014.
Stewart’s second season was by far his more impressive, after former boss, Big Sam, made the bold decision to utilise his winger as the tip of a midfield diamond. The change had apparently unlocked a previously hidden potential in Downing, with his new freedom to roam and ability to drop deep before running at defenders causing havoc for opposition defences.
So conclusively, though the ex-Liverpool man may have originally been against the idea of a switch to East London, he can be in no doubt that he experienced a few of his best performances in front of the Hammers faithful and that he left the club having helped to push it towards a brighter future.
