Pierre Ekwah talks West Ham’s transfer decision and what he’s learned at Sunderland under Tony Mowbray. Pierre Ekwah discusses his transfer from West Ham to Sunderland and what he’s learned since signing for The Black Cats.
Pierre Ekwah admits he wasn’t ready to break into the West Ham first team, but he believes he’s found the ideal spot at Sunderland.
The 21-year-old midfielder joined the Black Cats in January for a pittance and has since established himself as a first-team regular on Wearside.
When asked why West Ham let him go, Ekwah, who scored twice in Sunderland’s 5-0 victory against Southampton, said, “I think it was good recruitment.” Sunderland made a solid hire, in my opinion.
“If I didn’t make it, it could mean I wasn’t ready to play.” The manager at West Ham had his reasons for not allowing me to play.
“I think my path, I was meant to be here, and that’s it.”
Ekwah credits his success at Sunderland to playing on a youthful team and working with a coaching staff that believes in giving young players a chance.
The midfielder had to wait until the end of March to make his debut for Sunderland, but he claims he’s learned a lot in his short time on Wearside.
“I came in January to a really good team,” Ekwah said when questioned about his experiences at Sunderland. “They were vying for the playoffs.”
“You can’t just show up as a 21s player and expect to play; you have to earn it.”
“I try my best to earn it and felt like I earned it, and my mentality never changed. You always have to work and have to earn it.
When I felt like I had earned it, I seized the opportunity.”
“You gain experience by playing games,” he continues. “When you have a staff like this, I definitely agree that you have to play to get better.”
“I’m miles better than I was when I first came here, so I think I’ll be better in six or seven months because I had that chance from the start from the gaffer to put me on the pitch.”
“When you look at guys like Dan Neil, Danny Ballard, and all the others, they’ve played a lot of games.” They are youthful, yet they are not football players.
That, I believe, is what distinguishes us as a good and challenging squad.”
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One of West Ham United’s internationals played 69 minutes for his country last night and found himself in an unusual position.
West Ham United currently has a number of internationals on international duty with their various countries.
The fact that David Moyes is currently without ten players owing to international obligations demonstrates West Ham’s growth as a club.
That would have been 11 if Brazil had chosen Lucas Paqueta (he was left out of their squad due to an ongoing investigation into betting practices).
The Hammers are in an exciting period.
And one thing that really strikes out to me is that a player who isn’t even in Moyes’ starting XI right now is playing an important role for his country…
Maxwel Cornet, a West Ham United international, played 69 minutes in an intriguing position yesterday night. He joined the Hammers from Burnley last summer for about £17.5 million.
However, he struggled with injuries last season and only appeared in 22 games for West Ham.
Moyes has used Cornet as a left or right winger every time he has employed him.
However, the 26-year-old played 69 minutes for Ivory Coast last night, and The Elephants manager Jean-Louis Gasset utilized him as a left wing-back.
This is a fascinating development that Moyes will definitely have noticed.
Perhaps the former Burnley player can save his Hammers career by switching positions. After all, he has already worked there for the Clarets and Lyon.
Cornet has a better chance of making a career at West Ham by battling with Emerson Palmieri for the left wing-back berth than he does by competing for the starting left wing position.
Most of West Ham’s internationals appear to have done well over this break, but Cornet may have had the most significant one, at least from a personal one.
