If Arsenal had made their move for Valentin Antov a couple of months earlier, the 21-year-old Bulgaria international might currently be donning red and white for a Gunners side setting the pace at the top of the Premier League under Mikel Arteta.
Instead, Antov was doomed to become one of the first victims of the English football’s post-Brexit era. Then captain of Eastern European giants CSKA Sofia despite his tender age, the 13-cap central defender was supposed to join Arsenal in January 2021.
Instead, thanks in part to Bulgaria’s lowly status in the FIFA World Rankings, the Premier League closed their doors to Antov.
“It is no longer possible to go to England due to Brexit,” Antov explained at the time, via Corriere dello Sport.
It was, in some ways, one of those sliding doors moments. Rather than help Arsenal climb the summit, Antov is warming the bench for 16th-placed Monza in Serie A.
Valentin Antov missed out on Arsenal move
Monza, Silvio Berlusconi’s latest plaything, paid around £3 million to secure the defender’s signature. This was despite Antov managing just five league appearances during a short-lived spell at Bologna. And first-team football is not exactly proving to be much more forthcoming at Monza.
In a city famous for it’s iconic racetrack, Antov’s career feels in desperate need of a service and an oil-change. Just 52 minutes. That is all he’s got since Monza’s promotion to Italy’s top flight; stuck on the bench for each of the last five matches (including a famous 1-0 win over Juventus).
On his Serie A debut in Monza colours, he became the latest scalp in Kvicha Kvaratskhelia’s increasingly wide-ranging collection; choking on the Georgian’s wake during a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Luciano Spalletti’s rampant side.
“He is a defender who uses physical strength,” explains Angelo Cristofoletti; an agent who played a key role in Antov’s move to Italy nearly two years ago. “But he also has technical qualities.
“In fact, when he played in the youth teams, he was sometimes used as a midfielder. He is a great leader. He was the captain of the most famous team in the Bulgarian league.”
Antov stood out in a small pond. He is but a minnow, however, in the wide open waters of Serie A.
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