Hans Vanaken certainly made no secret of his desire to seal a move to West Ham United during the final few weeks of the Premier League’s transfer window. But as consolation prizes go, this wasn’t a bad one.
Club Brugge would probably have been happy with a point away from home at Porto during their second group-stage game of the new Champions League campaign. Instead, as 17-year-old Antonio Nusa broke clear before becoming the second-youngest player to find the net in Europe’s biggest and best club competition, the Belgian giants found themselves toasting a famous 4-0 win at the Estadio da Luz; quenching the Dragon’s fire on perhaps their greatest ever night on the Champions League stage.
“In the matches we won last year, we usually conceded a goal. It’s nice to be able to keep a clean sheet now. Those are positive things we can build on,” Vanaken, who captained Brugge in Portugal, tells Sporza.
“We have started very well with six points out of 6 but we have to stay calm. An important double-header with Atletico follows. If you lose twice, (the situation) looks very different again.
“We have to stay calm and focus on our job. And then we’ll see.”
West Ham United missed out on Club Brugge skipper Hans Vanaken
Clearly, Vanaken is determined not to get carried away. Should Brugge fail to reach the knockout phase for the first time, having defeated both Bayer Leverkusen and Porto in their opening two matchdays, that four-goal obliteration of the 2004 European champions will end up feeling like an opportunity squandered.
The fact remains, however, that Vanaken can now dream of captaining his beloved Brugge in the Champions League knockouts, while West Ham try to gear themselves up for a less-than-entrancing UEFA Conference League clash with the third-best team in Denmark.
“It was difficult. There was a concrete offer from West Ham,” explains the £17 million-rated, 29-year-old Vanaken, after David Moyes’ side saw two bids fall short of Club Brugge’s valuation.
“(Missing out on a move) is a mixed feeling. It was the third time that West Ham showed interest. It may have felt like a last chance, especially to move to a league like the Premier League. With my new contract, there’s a good chance I’ll never leave.
“Did Moyes call me personally? Yes, I heard him over the phone. He said he saw me as an ideal midfielder. On the other hand, I have always said that I am very happy here.”
If he was ‘happy’ then, just imagine how Vanaken is feeling now.
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