---
title: "“This team belongs in the Premier League” – Dinos Mavropanos breaks silence on West Ham future"
canonical: "https://readwestham.com/2026/08/09/this-team-belongs-in-the-premier-league-dinos-mavropanos-breaks-silence-on-west-ham-future/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "James Chettle"
section: "West Ham News"
published: "2026-08-09T16:00:00Z"
modified: "2026-09-22T17:38:43Z"
---

# “This team belongs in the Premier League” – Dinos Mavropanos breaks silence on West Ham future

**Dinos Mavropanos has explained why he decided to remain at West Ham despite attracting interest following the club’s relegation from the Premier League.**

The Greece international was one of the Hammers’ standout performers last season and was subsequently named Hammer of the Year. Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan were all credited with interest during the summer, but Mavropanos has stayed to help Nuno Espírito Santo’s side push for an immediate return to the top flight.

His decision provides West Ham with another important senior player for a demanding Championship campaign, alongside captain Jarrod Bowen.

> "After the relegation, I was not happy because this team doesn't belong to somewhere else except the Premier League, but this happened and everyone was responsible. The summer was difficult. Now we are back. This team has a goal to go back to the Premier League."\
> \
> – Mavropanos ⚒️ [pic.twitter.com/z9VMUKNX8J](https://t.co/z9VMUKNX8J)
>
> — Central (@WestHam\_Central) [August 7, 2026](https://x.com/WestHam_Central/status/2085633004026703958?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

## Dinos Mavropanos explains West Ham decision

Mavropanos says relegation was difficult to accept and believes the players must take responsibility for what happened.

“This team doesn’t belong to somewhere else except the Premier League, I think,” he told West Ham’s official website.

The 28-year-old added that “everyone was responsible for that” and said the squad must now give everything to take the club back up.

West Ham had already made their stance clear earlier in the summer. [ReadWestHam reported that the club offered Mavropanos a new contract in July](https://readwestham.com/2026/07/21/west-ham-offer-new-contract-to-hammer-of-the-year/?utm_source=chatgpt.com), with the defender viewed as an important part of the promotion project.

The proposed deal included an extension, a promotion bonus and a release mechanism if West Ham fail to return to the Premier League at the first attempt.

Support from the stands also appears to have made an impression.

More than 50,000 season tickets have been sold for West Ham’s Championship campaign, a figure Mavropanos described as “something crazy, actually”.

That backing will now accompany Nuno’s side into a season in which promotion is the clear objective.

[ReadWestHam’s latest analysis highlighted the work still required before the Burnley opener](https://readwestham.com/2026/08/09/solomon-medical-27m-striker-call-and-3-west-ham-transfer-priorities-before-burnley/), but keeping players such as Mavropanos gives Nuno an experienced core around which to build.

After months of speculation surrounding his future, Mavropanos has now made his priorities clear.

The next challenge is helping West Ham return to the division he believes they belong in.