Thursday, 11th September, 2014
Fiorentina new boy Micah Richards has revealed that he rejected a chance to join West Ham this summer as he wanted to play abroad after leaving Manchester City.
The 26-year-old put a break to his 12-year long stay at the Etihad Stadium to join Fiorentina on a season-long loan deal.
The Italian outfit will have the chance to make the deal permanent next year for a fee in the region of £4.7m.
Speaking about the dramatic deadline day move, the England international said that Premier League outfit West Ham were also keen on having him.
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But he preferred a move abroad, as he wanted to experience playing outside England and was impressed with Fiorentina.
"I wanted to play abroad, and at an ambitious club like Fiorentina, which is why I said no to West Ham", Richards was quoted as saying by ITV.
"For me, Fiorentina will be a great experience because I have always liked adventure."
He also took time to speak about the difference between the Italian league and the Premier League, insisting that the tactical aspect of the game is far more important in Italy than it is in England.
"I have always watched the Premier League and one thing I can say is that the pace is lower in Italy as compared to England, but the teams here give much more importance to the tactical aspect and this is something I want to work and improve a lot. "
Ricards played a total of 179 league matches for the Sky Blues.
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