Agent admits Sven Botman star chose Newcastle United over a giant European club

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AC Milan ‘tried’ to sign Sven Botman before Newcastle United landed the ‘best defender in the Premier League’ last summer, the Dutch international’s representative tells Radio Punto Nuovo. 

As Francesco Minierio points out rather succinctly, the stumbling Serie A champions could have done with a centre-half of Botman’s poise and composure. A ruinous run of six games without a run has not only taken a sledgehammer to their hopes of retaining the Scudetto, it also saw Milan miss out on another piece of silverware.  

In those six games, Milan have conceded a staggering 16 games. Five at home to Sassuolo. Four away at Lazio. And a further three against bitter rivals Inter Milan during the Supercoppa Italiana. 

Compare that to Botman’s record at Newcastle United. In his 20 starts for the Magpies, the former Lille stopper has been breached on just 11 occasions. Whether or not he really is ‘the best defender in the Premier League’, as Minierio claims, he is certainly part of the competition. 

Newcastle United beat Serie A champions AC Milan to Sven Botman

“Napoli shows interest, but there was never anything concrete. With Milan, we were close. Atalanta even touched base with him,” Botman’s agent explains. 

“Milan tried. But then Newcastle came along. Of course, this season, he would have been very useful for the Rossoneri.

“He is a guy I have known for ten years. In our agency, he immediately proved to be one of the best centre-backs in the world. He is the best defender in the Premier League.”

After months of protracted negotiations – Botman immediately installed as Eddie Howe’s number one centre-back target following his appointment as Steve Bruce’s successor – the one-time Ajax youngster finally put pen to paper on a cool £35 million in July. 

And his partnership with Fabian Schar has been such that Newcastle now find themselves just 90 Wembley minutes away from a first domestic title since the 1955 FA Cup. 

“My faith in him is huge,” Howe says of Botman.

“We really fought to sign him and we stuck to our guns because he was the one we wanted. I see so much potential in his game. He’s very good on the ball. But he’s surprised me with how good his technical delivery has been.”