Leicester, Villa, West Ham alerted as angry Brazilian demands Albion exit

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Matheus Pereira TEAMtalk

Matheus Pereira admits he wants to leave West Brom this summer after hitting back at manager Valerien Ismael’s claims that he is not committed to the club.

The 25-year-old has been with the Baggies for two seasons, the first of which was on loan. He penned permanent terms last summer, signing up for a four-year stint at the Hawthorns. The Brazilian has put in a decent shift, with 38 starts among 41 Championship appearances as Albion gained promotion.

He enjoyed 33 Premier League outings in 2020-2021 but could prevent the West Midlanders from plunging back to the Championship. The former FC Nurnberg loan star was due to take his place in the side for pre-season games.

But he has yet to play a single minute in the run up to the new second-tier campaign. The winger has been training but absent when game time comes around.

Ismael has taken umbrage at his actions. He said the South American is “not committed to the Championship and not committed to us.”

Pereira has now responded to the claims and pulled no punches in his assessment of the accusation.

“No one has ever seen an interview in which I bad mouthed the club, or anyone associated with the club, or even that I wanted to leave the club by any means,” he wrote on social media.

“That’s because I have character and I have respect for the club as it opened its doors for me when I needed and believed in me. Dedication has never lacked and I have been committed in the last two seasons.

“It’s extremely wrong for anybody to say I’m ‘not committed’ since I train and I commit as I normally would and give 100% every single day.

“I think it’s low to try and degrade my image and my professionalism in this manner.”

Prem trio ready to pounce for Pereira

It seems inevitable that Pereira will be on his way this summer. Leicester, Aston Villa and West Ham have been linked, while he is said to have had an offer from Qatar.

Back in May, former England striker Emile Heskey urged Villa to sign the star in an interview with HITC. His price tag is unknown but Dean Smith’s side would certainly have the cash if Jack Grealish is sold.

Pereira has made his feeling clear but had nothing but praise for the way he has been treated.

“I don’t want to leave the club through the back door. That was never my plan or intention, quite the contrary,” he added. “I want the club to be adequately rewarded for believing in me and supporting me for two seasons.

“Three weeks ago I received an offer that would change my life and my family’s life forever.

Valerien Ismael April 2021 TEAMtalk

“I come from humble beginnings, slowly but surely I have been building myself up and achieving things with a lot of hard work and dedication. To achieve financial freedom at 25 would be unimaginable.

“I want to leave, I want to seek new experiences, but want to do this in a fair and correct manner.”

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