New Fulham signing Ziyad Larkeche has revealed he chose a move to Craven Cottage despite offers from Italy and Spain.
Larkeche joined the Cottagers on a free transfer from PSG earlier this week, having found himself out of contract at the French giants this summer.
The move was a surprising one on several levels, with Fulham not exactly considered a prime destination for a 17-year-old looking to make his first steps in the game.
Larkeche, though, insists he made a considered choice in choosing Fulham as his next destination, turning down offers from elsewhere in Europe to do so.
“It was one of the first clubs to come forward,” he told L’Equipe.
“They showed a strong interest in me. I refused a lot of offers in Italy, in Spain. It is a position (left side) in great demand in Europe.
“The objective, at first, is to impose myself with the U23 and then to access the first team. It is a carefully considered choice.
“The attack side, box to box, that suits me. I like the impact, the intensity. It’s a league that fits my game.”
Leaving PSG came as something of a surprise for Larkeche, who, like many youngsters at the club, had dreamed of making it big with the Parisian giants.
Instead, the opposite have proven to be true, with him becoming the latest in a long line of young players developed at the club to head to pastures new in search of football.
Indeed, the subject of a lack of opportunities for young players at the club is a hot one at present, but Larkeche insists it’s not really an issue.
“For my family and me, it was a surprise. Then you have to accept this choice. It’s part of life. Today, I will devote myself 100% to my new club and my new goals,” he added.
“I am an ambitious person. The objective is always to integrate the first team. It’s a dream to be able to join the pro group and to be able to play with Neymar, Mbappé.
“There are young people who are given a chance. Today, in training, there is Arnaud (Kalimuendo), Timothée (Pembélé).
“At PSG, we can have a chance, but that was not my story.”
