West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has admitted he didn’t want James Tomkins to leave the club in the summer.

Tomkins, who had been at West Ham since 1997, joined the Eagles in July in a deal worth around £10m.

The Basildon-born defender was a fans’ favourite in east London having played over 200 games for the Hammers.

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Bilic revealed he had talks with Tomkins to try and convince him to stay, but that the lure of regular first-team football at Palace was too good to refuse.

He said: “I tried to explain the situation with James Tomkins. I didn’t want him to leave but I couldn’t guarantee he would play every week.

“That is the reason he wanted to leave. He wanted to be guaranteed first-team football.”

Tomkins, 27, has played four Premier League games so far this season and is set to take on his boyhood club for the first time this weekend.

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