Tottenham Hotspur were linked with Dani Olmo this past summer.
Dinamo Zagreb playmaker Dani Olmo has told Marca that he’s glad he stayed with the club despite interest from Tottenham Hotspur and other clubs this past summer.
Olmo, 21, came up through the Espanyol and then Barcelona ranks, but was moved on to Dinamo as a replacement for Alen Halilovic, who had left Dinamo for Barca.
Many had backed Halilovic for stardom, but whilst he’s now out on loan at Heerenveen after a stint at Standard Liege, Olmo has become a star.
Olmo racked up 12 goals and nine assists last season, dazzling in Croatia whilst playing a key role in Spain winning the Under-21 European Championships this summer.
Olmo was unsurprisingly linked with a big move away from Croatia. ESPN claim that Tottenham wanted to land Olmo, but backed away from a move having been put off by Dinamo’s €40million (£34.5million) asking price.
Atletico Madrid felt the same way, and Barcelona are now though to be interested in re-signing Olmo, seemingly realising their mistake in pushing him away for Halilovic.
Olmo has now reflected on his summer, suggesting that he wanted to play in the Champions League, and with no real way out or opportunity to leave Dinamo, he figured he may as well play in the competition with the Croatian side.
Olmo added that he’s glad to have stayed with Dinamo, and promised to give his all until his deal ends in 2021 – and Tottenham would be wise to keep tabs on the Spaniard, who can play on either flank or as a 10, with Christian Eriksen set to leave in 2020.
“Yes, in the end I was clear that I wanted to play in the Champions League and I thought, why not with Dinamo?” said Olmo. “I have a contract until 2021 and whenever I wear this shirt, I will give my all. Well, in the end I didn’t have to make any decisions because I stayed. They wanted me to help the team get the qualification for the Champions League and we got it. There was no way out, but now it is in the past and I am happy to have stayed. I want to play in the Champions League, which is a competition I’ve always wanted to feature in. You get stronger out of everything [that has happened].”
“In the end there was no way out but I’m glad I stayed at Dinamo. They have given me a lot and this year we have the opportunity to play in the Champions League after having an incredible campaign last year. We qualified for the Champions League for the first time after 49 years and we want to do something great and for that, we need all the players,” he added.
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