Matheus Pereira hits back at comments he is not committed to West Brom
Matheus Pereira has hit back at claims he is not committed to Albion but has confirmed he wants to leave the club.
Speaking after the Baggies pre-season win over Birmingham on Saturday, manager Valerien Ismael said the Brazilian playmaker has made it clear to him he wants to move on.
“He is not committed to the Championship and not committed to us,” the boss said.
Pereira, though, responded to those comments in a lengthy social media post.
In it he revealed one club – believed to be Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal – has offered him a life-changing contract to join them.
The Express & Star understands the Saudi Professional League side have tabled an offer for Pereira this summer.
But that offer was in the region of €8million, way below his valuation.
In his statement, Pereira said: “I remained silent and was not going to address anything until after the transfer window out of respect for the fans and my teammates, however after being called ‘not committed’ I felt extremely disrespected as a professional.
“I’ve been living off football since I was 12 years old, I chose to give up family time and ordinary fun to chase after a dream of a better future for myself and those around me.
“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.
“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.
“Matheus Pereira.”
