‘Brothers’ was funny, their version of events was wrong, and we’ll still get Carvalho!
BILIC PUTS HIS SIDE OF THE TOY STORY, AND SAYS CLUB SHOULD NOT AIR ‘DIRTY LAUNDRY’ IN PUBLIC
SLAVEN BILIC has hit back in the West Ham war of words by disputing David Sullivan’s version of the club’s transfer dealings.
The Hammers boss also said he thought Sporting Lisbon president Bruno de Carvalho’s lurid description of porn baron co-owners Sullivan and David Gold – the “D***o Brothers” – was “funny”.
Additionally, he called for an end to airing “dirty laundry” in public and stated he expected to sign William Carvalho in the next transfer window.
Bilic was already under pressure after losing the first three Premier League matches of the season.
But the tensions at the top of the club spilled into the open after the failure to sign midfielder Carvalho from Sporting Lisbon.
West Ham and the Portuguese club have since traded insults and legal threats – while Sullivan decided to reveal Bilic had turned down the chance to sign Renato Sanches and Grzegorz Krychowiak on loan before the closing of the window.
In his first public appearance since, it was time for Bilic to have his say. And Monday’s first home game of the season against Huddersfield was not the main topic of discussion.
“David Sullivan likes to talk – it’s his right to be able to,” Bilic said. “I wanted Carvalho and that is not exactly what happened with those two (Sanches and Krychowiak) you mention. “Carvalho looked likely. And, to be fair, during my time at West Ham, it’s very common that when it looks like a player is going to happen, someone throws in two or three other names and that distracts you from the main target, and that’s what happened. “Carvalho didn’t happen because the price was too high. I know I wanted him but, as far as I know, we have been in talks with Sporting. Official or not, I don’t know. I don’t do these things.”
Gianfranco Zola was dismissed by West Ham in 2010 without compensation for breach of contract after publicly attacking the club. Bilic (below), who is in the final year of his deal, joked: “I thought about coming with a lawyer today! There have been issues!”
Of De Carvalho’s D***o Brothers comment, he said: “It’s funny! It made me laugh. But that’s not the way I work. If I do, I would call that guy. I don’t
like to go public about dirty laundry. That’s it.”
Bilic was asked if he had been made the scapegoat at the London Stadium.
“There are many things I am not happy about but I don’t function like that,” he added. “If I want to say something to the chairman, no problem. I am not going to talk through my lawyers or the media. I am expecting if he says something about me to call me and not go through you guys.”
Sporting wanted £40million for Carvalho (left) but West Ham offered £23m. Can the deal still be done in January? “Yes,” Bilic said. “I’m expecting it.”