Kevin Nolan broke the hearts of Newcastle United fans by signing for West Ham in 2011.
The former Magpies midfielder was recognised as a hero at the club for his efforts to bring them back from the Championship and keep them in the Premier League in their first season back.
Kevin Nolan was part of Newcastle United’s dramatic 4-4 draw with Arsenal just days after Andy Carroll was sold to Liverpool, proving that they could get back without a top-quality striker. Nolan also had the opportunity to win that game late on firing an effort wide of the post.
Joining in January 2009, Nolan is one of Newcastle’s best-ever captains, taking the armband from the Championship season up until his departure.
Since Nolan left in 2011, a lot has changed on Tyneside. Several managers have come and gone. There has even been a change of ownership.
Newcastle has been completely turned around by manager Eddie Howe after he took over in 2021 following Mike Ashley’s departure and the arrival of a consortium backed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Now 42, Nolan no longer plays professionally, and he has now opened up on how his move away from Tyneside came about.
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Why Kevin Nolan left Newcastle United for West Ham
Nolan was an incredibly popular figure on Tyneside. In his three years at the club, the midfielder scored 29 goals in 85 league appearances.
Fans would have loved for him to stay, but after a dispute over a contract occurred, the writing was on the wall.
Speaking on EFL Unfiltered, Nolan opened up about how the move to West Ham came about and the exact environment he was in when it happened.
“I’d gone to West Ham as a marquee signing,” he said.
“Scott Parker was going over to Tottenham, so I’d gone in and took the captaincy off him. I was named as the club captain right away. I’d probably had my best season at Newcastle – 12 goals.
“I went and got a knock, and I was getting the knock I was supposed to be signing a new deal, and then they took the deal off. So that’s why it all transpired that I went to West Ham, because they took the deal off.
“I still had two and a half years left and I wanted to extend it for another two, but they took the deal away.
“Then I got a phone call, ‘would you like to go to West Ham? Sam’s going to be the new manager’ and I just said ‘yes’. We were in Dubai with Steve Harper and his wife. All my Newcastle mates!”
Nolan found success at West Ham under Sam Allardyce, who managed Newcastle between 2007 and 2008, winning the Championship play-offs in 2012.
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Where is Kevin Nolan now?
After leaving West Ham in 2016, Nolan was appointed player-manager at Leyton Orient. However, he was relieved of his duties just a few months later and left the club altogether shortly after that.
In 2017, Nolan was appointed manager of Notts County and even brought former Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi to the club. However, he was then sacked after a winless run at the beginning of the 2018/19 campaign.
In February 2020, Nolan linked-up with David Moyes to be a first team coach at West Ham. He found great success with the Hammers, helping them win the Conference League in 2023.
Most recently, Nolan was appointed manager of League One side Northampton Town. Despite a shaky start to his tenure at the Cobblers, he looks set to keep them in the division for another season.
Nolan still keeps an eye on his former club too. Bruno Guimaraes was praised by Nolan in 2023, admitting the Brazilian had blown him away with his technical ability.
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