Premier League newcomers Fulham tried and failed to sign La Liga captain Hugo Mallo from Celta Vigo.
Fulham did end their wait for a new right-back to replace Ryan Fredericks on transfer deadline day when they signed Timothy Fosu-Mensah on loan from Manchester United. But this was only after they had failed to bring in Hugo Mallo.
According to Marca, Fulham had made a £9 million bid to sign the Celta Vigo skipper.
But after spending his entire career at the Balaidos, Mallo rejected a move to Craven Cottage in order to remain with Celta, according to The Sun. He has since signed a long-term contract with the club he has played for over 300 times.
And in an interview with Marca, Mallo has explained why he turned down the chance to join Jean-Michel Seri, Andre Schurrle and co at Fulham.
“In life, money isn’t everything,” said the former Spain U21 ace, who is understood to have been offered a substantial pay rise by the London club.
“My intention was always to continue playing for Celta. So the agreement with the club was simple and very fast”.
Mallo is now contracted to Celta until 2023. And even the most hard-nosed Fulham fan must be able to appreciate a player showing his loyalty in an era where players jump from club to club seemingly without a care in the world.
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