West Ham United midfielder Andy Irving has established himself as somewhat of a cult hero at the London Stadium.
Andy Irving admitted that he was delighted to make his Premier League debut for West Ham on Saturday, during out 3-0 defeat to Chelsea.
The Hammers signed the 24-year-old Scot from SK Austria Klagenfurt on transfer deadline day back in the summer of 2023.
He was then immediately loaned back to the Austrian side, but returned to the London Stadium this summer.
Irving clearly impressed Julen Lopetegui during pre-season, because he remained at West Ham.
The former Hearts midfielder actually suggested midway through last season that it was his dream to play for West Ham in the Premier League.
He has now realised his dream, but things could have been very different indeed it seems.
Andy Irving makes big West Ham transfer admission
The Scot is an extremely popular figure at the London Stadium, and the fans were happy to see him given his competitive debut two days ago.
However, there was a point when it seemed like he wouldn’t even be a West Ham player full stop.
Irving spoke to WHUFC.com after our defeat to Chelsea on Saturday.
And the Scot admitted that he could have left the London Stadium in the summer:
Irving said, “I had a good pre-season, and my aim was to be in and around it when we got to the end of the transfer window. I had the choice to maybe go somewhere else, but my conversations with Julen Lopetegui and the other coaches were really positive.“
The 24-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Celtic in the summer, but he obviously remained with West Ham in the end.
Where does Andy Irving’s future lie?
I actually don’t believe that the Scot will be at West Ham beyond the end of the 2025 summer transfer window, if I’m being honest.
He’s a decent footballer, but not a great one.
The 24-year-old doesn’t have that so-called ‘special sauce’ needed to make it in the Premier League in my opinion.
A move to a Scottish Premiership club may well be perfect for Andy Irving, if he does indeed leave West Ham.
I actually like him. He’s a hard worker and hasn’t actually done anything wrong for the Hammers.
However, the midfielder hasn’t done anything to make him really stand out either.
I believe his future lies away from East London.
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