Sevilla midfielder Joan Jordan has said that he almost joined a Premier League club this summer before he opted to stay in Spain for family reasons.

Reports in the UK suggested that the West Ham had agreed a £13m transfer fee with Eibar for the 25-year-old, but the Spaniard has confirmed that the late interest from Sevilla swung things in the La Liga side’s favour:

“When Sevilla called me, I knew that I wanted to come, I had almost done it with a team from the Premier League that made a lot more money, but my family, my wife and my parents were betting on this, especially my father.”

It is not a surprise that the Hammers were looking at signing Jordan. Manager Manuel Pellegrini had explicitly stated that he wanted to replace Pedro Obiang.

The midfielder moved to Sassuolo in the summer but no replacement came in before the transfer window closed. Stuttgart midfielder Santiago Ascacibar was also mentioned as a possible alternative but a deal never materialised.

It’s likely West Ham will try and make a move for another midfielder in January, and it will be interesting to see who they go for after missing out on Jordan.