Hull City’s failed move for Lukas Hornicek is looking even more understandable after the goalkeeper’s latest display for Braga.
The newly promoted Premier League side saw a €30m (£25.9m) proposal rejected earlier this month, with Braga unhappy about the payment structure. Club president António Salvador later confirmed the player himself had also turned down the chance to move to England.
Now, A Bola report Hornicek has remained completely unfazed by the transfer speculation and continues to show exactly why Braga were so keen to keep him.
Hull rejection followed by match-winning display
Speaking recently in Portugal, Salvador revealed Braga had received a concrete offer from the Premier League and admitted Hornicek had decided against making the move.
“We even had one [a concrete approach]. The player himself, Hornicek, refused. There was a proposal from England, from the Premier League, but the player felt he shouldn’t go to that club and we were happy for him to stay,” the Braga president explained.
As we already covered, the offer came from Hull City and matched the goalkeeper’s €30m (£25.9m) release clause, although the Portuguese also side rejected the structure of the deal.
A Bola now report Hornicek has blocked out the growing transfer speculation and remains fully focused on Braga.
That focus was evident on Wednesday night, when the Czech goalkeeper played a key role in Braga’s 1-0 win away to Železničar Pančevo in the club’s first competitive fixture of the new season.
Hornicek produced three important saves, including a late stop to deny Aleksa Kuljanin, preserving Ricardo Horta’s winning goal and helping Braga begin the campaign with a clean sheet.
Waiting for the right move
The latest report reinforces what has emerged over the past week. Despite interest from several clubs in Portugal and abroad, Hornicek appears willing to wait for an opportunity he believes represents a genuine step up in his career.
He made his senior Czech Republic debut in May before travelling to the World Cup squad this summer, further boosting his profile, and A Bola conclude he will only leave Braga for one of Europe’s established top clubs.
For Hull, that underlines the size of the challenge they faced. Promotion to the Premier League and a €30m (£25.9m) offer were not enough to persuade the goalkeeper that the move was the right one at this stage of his career.
