Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners has revealed why he chose the Italian side over the likes of Everton in the summer.
The Dutch midfielder joined the Serie A club in a £10.8m deal in the summer after several impressive years with AZ Alkmaar, where he had worked his way up from the youth set up to become a first-team regular.
He’s already established himself as a key player for Atalanta since his arrival, with 19 appearances and two goals and two assists to his name so far.
The future looks bright for the midfielder, who at 23-years-old has his future ahead of him and is currently playing for one of the more exciting teams in Europe.
Crucially he is also playing for a club and manager who have a history of developing talent, with a long list of players establishing themselves as stars at Atalanta in recent years.
Whether Koopmeiners can continue that trend remains to be seen, but it seems things could have been very different.
De Gelderlander have an interview with the midfielder today in which they reveal that Everton ‘came knocking’ for him in the summer.
Now that is news as Everton were not really linked with a move this summer, certainly not in England or the Netherlands, although Marcel Brands was said to be keen back in 2020.
Obviously, a transfer never happened, and, according to the player, it’s because the Toffees didn’t tick the boxes like Atalanta did.
“It’s a club with a structure, with a well-thought-out policy, and it has been consistent in its performances for a while now. We are in the Champions League and at the top of Serie A,” he said.
“Atalanta fulfilled many of the wishes that I had when choosing a new club. Don’t think I was sitting with a notepad on my lap crossing out or adding plus signs, but I did have a few points that my new club had to meet.
“Think of the quality of life, which is particularly good here. Don’t get that wrong either; I really don’t want to lie on the beach all day or sit on a terrace eating pizza, but Bergamo is a beautiful city where me and my girlfriend Rosa can live well.
“When you drive home from training, you also want to be happy. Where I live now, the surroundings look like a postcard. Italy has always appealed to me.”
