Fabian Balbuena’s Arabian snub shows his West Ham loyalty [Opinion]

West Ham fans should appreciate Fabian Balbuena for his commendable attitude in turning down reported interest from an Arabian club, choosing sporting challenge over a lucrative pay packet.

According to the player’s agent, the Paraguay international turned down a ‘very juicy’ proposal from an unnamed Arabian side to fight for his place at the London Stadium.

Speaking to Futgol of Universo 970 AM [via Versus], Balbuena’s agent Renato Bittar claimed that a move was halted due to Balbuena’s will and initiative, saying: “We had a very juicy Arab soccer proposal and Fabian told me: ‘Let’s wait, let’s stay in Europe’.”

Before injury and illness curtailed opportunities for Balbuena amid competition from Craig Dawson, he appeared to be undroppable in David Moyes’ thinking.

Amid the latest transfer developments, it would seem that Balbuena relishes the challenge of battling for his place at West Ham and proving that he has what it takes to thrive in a major European league.

Claiming that Arabian and big-money Asian leagues are where talent goes to die is certainly insulting, but the sporting challenge isn’t the same as in the top competitions in Europe. Indeed, former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan went so far as to claim that competitions such as the Chinese Super League have no sporting integrity.

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West Ham fans may be quick to remember the controversial exit of Marko Arnautovic from the London Stadium in acrimonious circumstances in favour of a lucrative Chinese move.

After that regrettable episode, Irons fans should be encouraged and appreciative that Balbuena has refused to take a similar path, instead showing a loyalty to the West Ham cause which makes him such a valuable player for Moyes to have in his squad.