Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Meritan Shabani has revealed it was a ‘difficult decision’ to join the club last summer.
The German midfielder arrived from Bayern Munich last year, with Wolves paying £1.35m to sign him from the Bundesliga champions’ U23 team.
The move brought an end to a 13-year relationship with Bayern, with Shabani having joined them as a youngster from FC Phönix Schleißheim Youth in 2006.
Moving to an entirely new country, and admittedly taking a step back career-wise, was a bold choice and one he admits it was hard to make.
“It was a difficult decision,” he told Transfermarkt.
“The main thing was that I wanted to take the next step. And Wolverhampton were very interested.
“My family is everything to me, so I discuss a lot with them and of course with my advisor.
“We were of the opinion that I now have to take this next step. Therefore, the decision was made in the end. I played for Bayern for 13, 14 years. Leaving there was a difficult decision.
“But football is everything to me. If I know I can take the next step elsewhere; then it is the right decision.
“My family was always behind me and supported me. So everything wasn’t as difficult for me as I thought at the beginning.”
So far the move to Wolves has proven to be something if a disastrous one for Shabani after he suffered a cruciate ligament tear not long after arriving.
That injury saw him missing six months minimum as the injury healed, with even more time needed for rehabilitation once it had.
Most would feel low about such a turn of events, but Shabani insists he is still positive about the move to Molineux.
“(It’s been) very good. Sure, I was hurt for a long time. But otherwise, it went really well.
“The way people treat you makes a huge difference. I got so much help. No matter what happens – everyone stands next to you and supports you. That’s the biggest thing I’ve noticed here.
“I was away from the window for a year, but still I had someone by my side every day who asks me about something or takes care of me.
“And I’ve talked to the trainer a lot. That is extremely noticeable and is very good.”
The midfielder’s eyes are very much now on the future and breaking into Wolves first-team under Nuno Espirito Santo.
This season could be his best chance to do so, with an increased schedule caused by the Coronavirus meaning managers will need to rotate their squads significantly.
That certainly appears on the cards, with the midfielder revealing that Wolves vetoed a loan move away from the club in the summer.
“I know about the interest of various clubs that were interested in a loan,” he added.
“However, the club has put in a clear veto. I should stay here and recommend myself for higher tasks because the team also has a lot of games in a short time.
“It will be seen whether a loan can make sense in the future. At the moment, however, I am fully concentrating on the tasks here.”
