Adam Hlozek’s father admits that Premier League giants Arsenal and Newcastle United showed an interest before the Czech Republic international sealed a £15 million move to Bayer Leverkusen instead, speaking to iSport.
Moussa Diaby, Leon Bailey, Bernd Leno, Julian Brandt, Hakan Cahlanoglu, Emre Can and Heung-Min Son; Yes, when it comes to unearthing diamonds in the rough, polishing them up and selling them on for a huge profit, there are few better than Bayer Leverkusen. Football’s answer to De Beers.
And that’s without mentioning academy graduate Kai Havertz. Or, for that matter, Hlozek’s Czech Republic team-mate Patrik Schick.
So, when Leverkusen came calling for a player dubbed the most talented Czech footballer since a young Tomas Rosicky, there was one club that simply jumped off the page as far as Hlozek Sr is concerned.
Arsenal and Newcastle United wanted Adam Hlozek
“There was Newcastle. They were somewhere else financially. Lyon, Sevilla, Dortmund and Bayern Munich (were also interested),” explains Zbynek Hlozek.
“However, we wanted to make a smaller step, so as not to jump to a mega club right away.”
Leverkusen will offer 19-year-old Hlozek the kind of regular first-team football that would not have been possible at the likes of Bayern Munich or Arsenal. The Gunners already have a number of prodigious wide forwards at their disposal after all, including Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
Either way, Arsenal’s interest in the teenage Hlozek came far too late in the day. The former Sparta Prague wonderkid already had one foot in the Bay Arena when the Londoners came calling.
“When Leverkusen was almost done, we heard about a huge intervention from Arsenal. But the negotiation was already a long way along,” Zbynek adds. “
The same with Borussia Monchengladbach; They spoke to Adam personally twice in the spring. They were excited about him, but they didn’t have the financial strength.”
Hlozek, who can play anywhere across the frontline, produced 12 goals and 15 assists during his final season at Sparta Prague. West Ham decided against making a move with David Moyes harbouring reservations about a forward who missed out on a switch to Manchester City right at the start of his career.
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