Ondrej Duda was linked with Liverpool before signing for Legia Warsaw this week.
It probably wasn’t a deal that any of you cared to take notice of – and in fact, either did I – but at the end of February Polish outfit Legia Warsaw beat off plenty of competition to snap up 20-year-old Slovakian midfielder Ondrej Duda.
They reportedly paid FC Kosice, former team of Chelsea star Nemanja Matic, €300k for the talented youngster – who has scored once in one cap at under-21 level for his country.
The attacking midfielder is one of Slovakia’s most highly rated talents – and that saw him linked with, in all respect, much bigger clubs that Legia.
He was also reportedly being eyed up by Napoli – in fact they were said to have made an offer for the player.
He was also linked with a move to our shores – with Liverpool said to have been keeping an eye on his progress.
But he is happy to be at Legia – and while Rafa Benitez might have wanted him, he has spoken of one dream destination for the future – the Napoli head coach’s former team Liverpool.
He spoke about his move yesterday – ahead of a potential debut this weekend and stated:
“When I heard about the interest of Legia, I was wondering if this could be true. I thought to myself, “How is it possible that such a great club as Legia wants me? ‘. I was happy, I was very attracted. In Napoli maybe something was there, but I do not know about that too much. It’s probably more in the form of interest than the specifics… And if I play well in Warsaw, we will achieve great success, and – knock on wood – we can succeed. Liverpool would be cool – I support them forever.”
Ambitious thinking from the young man but you have to admire his self-belief. And who knows, he might just be a Liverpool player one day if he lives up to his apparent potential.
image: © Eric The Fish (2012)
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
