West Brom midfielder Matheus Pereira has hit back at the suggestion from his manager that he is “not committed” to the club.
Pereira, whose future has been the subject of much speculation since Albion were relegated from the Premier League last season, says he feels “disrespected” by the comments made by Valerien Ismael.
The Baggies boss spoke about Pereira following Saturday’s friendly win at Birmingham, when he confirmed the 25-year-old wished to leave.
Pereira has not played during West Brom’s pre-season preparations and has said he has a “life-changing” offer on the table from another club which he wants to pursue in a “fair and correct manner”.
The Brazilian said in a statement via his social media channels: “I remained silent and was not going to address anything until after the transfer window out of respect for the fans and my team-mates. However, after being called ‘not committed’ I felt extremely disrespected as a professional.
“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.
“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.
“We fought our way back to the Premier League and we fought to stay in the Premier League, and I also know that every single professional fought for those goals just as I did.
“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.
“I don’t want to leave the club through the back door, that was never my plan or intention, quite the contrary. 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. 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. I will be forever grateful to WBA, to its fans and to every single professional who works at the club and who welcomed me with open arms.
“To those who cheered me for these past two seasons, you’re part of my history! I’m a professional and I’ll always respect that.”
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