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Simone Zaza admits he 'was not right mentally' at West Ham

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 10: Simone Zaza of West Ham United in action  during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Watford at Olympic St
Image: Simone Zaza concedes his negative attitude disrupted his time in the Premier League

Simone Zaza is hoping to earn himself a long-term stay at Valencia after admitting he "was not right mentally" during his time at West Ham.

The 25-year-old Italy forward has cut short an inauspicious spell at the London stadium to join Valencia on a deal until the end of the season.

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Zaza made 11 appearances for West Ham without scoring a goal after joining on a season-long loan from Juventus and, admits he failed to adapt to the style of English football.

"It was a very difficult time for me," Zaza said. "When I joined from Juventus I was very optimistic, I wanted to experience playing in England because I thought it was the football that I liked and where I could use my qualities.

Italy's forward Simone Zaza reacts after missing a penalty during a penalty shootout of the Euro 2016 quarter-final football match between Germany and Ital
Image: Zaza was a key member of Italy's squad at the Euro 2016 finals

"Everything started badly from the outset, I think the main blame lies with me because I was not right mentally, I was very negative and in all the things that happened I never saw the positive side.

"There was an atmosphere, a culture very different to mine. That was a problem. Now I'm here (in Spain) I feel bad not to have shown in England what I'm capable of."

West Ham striker Simone Zaza in action against West Brom
Image: Zaza in action against West Brom in one of his 11 appearances for the Hammers

Zaza has moved to the Mestalla on an initial six-month deal and is keen to make up for lost time in La Liga.

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"I'm really keen to play here, not only for six months," Zaza added. "I think I can do well here. I like the city, the people, everything. My hope is to play here.

"I would like to score as many goals as possible, but for me the most important thing is starting well, being calm, focused. The key thing is get higher up the table."

Valencia are just one place and four points above the relegation zone in La Liga, but earned themselves a morale-boosting 2-1 victory over Espanyol at the weekend.

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