Around two months ago, Paulo Fonseca was one of the most wanted managers in Europe. With his stay at Shakhtar Donetsk being uncertain, he was linked to several clubs, including from the Premier League, where Everton and West Ham were said to be interested.
Before signing a contract extension with the Ukrainian side, it was the Hammers who seemed closer to get the boss. That’s why when reporting his agreement to continue at Shakhtar, some outlets said that by doing this, he was rejecting the London side.
Now Fonseca has speaken to Portuguese outlet Record in a pretty big interview, and was asked about the offers he had to leave. The interviewer specifically mentioned West Ham and Napoli in the question.
“Through my manager, Marco Abreu, I received very interesting offers from many leagues,” Fonseca told Record. “But I had in mind that I would only interrupt the work at Shakhtar if there was a proposal from the best European clubs, because Shakhtar is one of the biggest clubs in Europe.
“I am very cherished and respected here, I have excellent professionals working with me and a great organisation. And here I play to win. These factors were key for me to stay.”
Fonseca was also quizzed about the leagues that attract him most. And when answering it, he teased saying he could be working in one of them already.
“The only firm goal I have is to maintain my passion for football. But I feel that, sooner or later, I will train one of the best teams in the best leagues. England, Italy, Spain and Germany are the leagues that fascinate me most. But if I reach one of those leagues, I want to do it with conditions to try to win. Because, if it wasn’t so, I’d be there to train at the moment…”
West Ham won’t be too upset, given they’ve got Manuel Pellegrini and have had a good transfer window so far.
