Leander Dendoncker has revealed that he had plenty of offers when leaving Aston Villa this summer, but none convinced quite like Real Oviedo.
Voetbal Nieuws cover comments from the midfielder today, made in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, about his summer decision.
Dendoncker returned to Aston Villa in the summer following an unsuccessful loan spell with his former club Anderlecht last season.
He was not a part of Unai Emery’s long-term plans, and the hope had been to sell him, to help ease financial issues around Financial Fair Play and PSR this summer.
Instead, no deal could be found and Dendoncker instead come to an agreement to terminate his contract and become a free agent, something which allowed him to join newly promoted Real Oviedo on a free transfer not long afterwards.
That was something of a surprising move for the Belgian, who perhaps might have seen himself elsewhere when looking to leave Aston Villa this summer.
Instead, he settled for the Spanish side and admits that they were the first offer this summer that convinced him and his family that it was right.
“René Weiler also wanted me at DC United, but moving to the US with two children aged four months and two years didn’t seem like the best plan,” he said.
“PAOK was also an option. There was interest from Saudi Arabia, but I would only do that if they offered me an undeniable offer, which wasn’t the case this time. Nothing completely convinced me and my wife.”
