Earlier this week, Steven Alzate left Hull City and completed a permanent move to Atlanta United.
The Colombian was without a club since leaving Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of the 2023/24 season. Last September, he joined join Hull City and had to wait until December to cement his place.
Alzate finished his debut season at Hull City with close to 2,000 minutes from 29 games last season, when the club managed to avoid relegation from the Championship.
AS in Colombia had a chat with the midfielder to discuss his exit from Hull City and his decision to move to the Major League Soccer [MLS].
The Tigers are currently banned from carrying out transfers and are now waiting for the outcome their appeal. AS specifically asked the 26-year-old whether this was the reason for his decision to leave the English club.
Alzate has dismissed that and revealed he had several options, without specifying them, to leave the Championship club this summer.
“My departure from Hull City has nothing to do with the club’s restrictions. While the window is open, there are club options, and there were several, but the Atlanta project seemed the best for me at this time, and that’s why I made the decision,” he said.
The England-born midfielder was a product of Leyton Orient’s academy and left them for Brighton in 2017. He struggled to cement a place at The Amex and the Seagulls sent him on loan to Swindon Town [2018/19 season] and Standard Liège [2022-24].
When asked about his decision to move to MLS, Alzate explained: “I chose MLS because it’s a league that’s been growing a lot in recent years. I wanted to start something new. Obviously, I’ve already played in several leagues, but I wanted to come to MLS to see what it was like and stand out here.”
“My game has evolved a lot in recent years. As a person and a player, I have matured a lot. The more games you play, the more experience you gain, so I think you keep improving. I’m at an age where I’m no longer young, so I came here to showcase the experience I have from playing in Europe, to be a leader here, and to help the team as much as I can.”
Alzate played under Ronny Deila at Standard Liège and now reunited with the manager at Atalanta United. The Norwegian had a big role in his decision to leave Hull City for the American club.
“Coach Ronny Deila had a huge influence on my coming here. I’ve known him personally since I was in Belgium. We have a very good connection; we spoke a lot over the summer. That was one of the biggest reasons I came to Atlanta United,” he added.
