Josef de Souza got cold feet about joining West Brom – but would jump at the chance to sign for Liverpool, Chelsea or Arsenal.
Fenerbahce midfielder Josef de Souza was on the verge of signing for West Brom in the summer but it appears that he is thinking bigger than The Hawthorns right now.
According to the Express and Star, The Baggies had agreed a £10.6 million fee to bring the three-time Brazil international to the Midlands, only for the deal to fall through in the final few hours of the transfer window.
Souza then told Turkish Football that he changed his mind about moving to England due to concerns about a potential lack of game-time under Tony Pulis. Considering that West Brom reinforced their midfield with the astute signings of Gareth Barry and Grzegorz Krychowiak (below), you can see where Souza is coming from.
However, Souza has now admitted that he would be a little more receptive towards a chance to move to one of England’s traditional big hitters.
Thinking big
“I always want to play in the Premier League but this was not the right moment for the transfer,” the 28-year-old said in quotes reported by the Birmingham Mail.
“When I develop myself a little more, I can see that I move forward. If one day comes a bid from a team like Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, then the situation may develop differently.”
If Souza was concerned about being stuck behind James Morrison and Claudio Yacob in the pecking order, what chance would he have of ousting N’Golo Kante or Cesc Fabregas at Chelsea, Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey at Arsenal, or Emre Can and Gigi Wijnaldum at Liverpool?
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, however could do with a midfielder of Souza’s tenacity and energy with The Reds’ back four left exposed once again in Saturday’s draw with Newcastle.
Though you still get the feeling that Souza may be aiming a little too high.
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