Nolan: I thought Diame had left West Ham

The Hammers captain admits to fearing the midfielder's sale after the Arsenal target turned up late for a team meeting following his side's 5-1 defeat to the Gunners

West Ham captain Kevin Nolan has revealed that he thought that Arsenal target Mohamed Diame had left the club after he turned up late for an early team meeting.

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17/2	Mohamed Diame is 17/2 with Bet365 to score anytime against Fulham

Following the Hammers' 5-1 defeat to Arsene Wenger's side on Wednesday evening, manager Sam Allardyce called his players in at 07.00GMT the next morning, at which point the Senegalese midfielder's tardiness had his skipper concerned.

"Mo Diame was a bit late. When he arrived we all gave him stick. We said we thought he had left us without saying goodbye," Nolan told reporters.

"There is a lot of speculation in the media about Mo. To be fair to him, he took all the banter really well."

The former Bolton midfielder also expressed regret over his side's performance in north London, adding: "We were all upset and disappointed with the result at the Emirates Stadium and I apologise to our fans.

"We are now focusing on the match at Fulham."