No West Ham deal for Barton

Former QPR midfielder Joey Barton posted a video on Wednesday confirming he will not be joining West Ham.

Reports emerged in the British media on Tuesday that West Ham were getting nervous about potentially signing the free agent, with many supporters of the Premier League club having made it clear they did not want Barton at Upton Park.

In a video posted on Twitter, Barton thanked “the West Ham fans, who sent me a lot of kind messages” but revealed he will not be joining Slaven Bilic’s squad at “this moment in time”.

“I felt West Ham as a football club certainly would have been a good fit for me,” the controversial 32-year-old said.

“It’s a ground – the Boleyn Ground – one that I’ve always enjoyed playing at, a really knowledgeable crowd that always gets behind the football team, and a place that, despite a few having reservations, I felt I could really do well, really offer something to the squad.

“It’s an exciting squad, obviously, that you’re building there now, highlighted by the Arsenal result on Sunday. But for this moment in time, it’s not meant to be.”

Barton added: “I’d just like to thank the West Ham fans, who sent me a lot of kind messages on social media, especially on Twitter. Obviously with a cat like myself, there’s always one or two, who are not so kind or complementary but that’s kind of par for the course for me these days.”

The former Manchester City, Newcastle United and Marseille man finished off with wishing West Ham “all the best going forward”, while underlining his belief the club are heading towards an exciting future with their impending move to London’s Olympic Stadium.