Alvaro Odriozola admits that an exciting style of football and the confidence instilled by manager Vincenzo Italiano convinced the Tottenham Hotspur target to join Fiorentina instead, speaking to the Serie A outfit’s official website.
The pathway from Real Madrid to Tottenham is threatening to become a bit of a one-way street these days.
Last summer, Sergio Reguillon swapped the bowls of the Bernabau for a new life in North London.
The prodigal son that was Gareth Bale, meanwhile, would eventually overcome those niggling injury issues to remind everyone that an £86 million superstar still lies somewhere beneath that bushy ponytail.
Whether Odriozola would have been able to emulate the impact of Reguilon and Bale under Nuno Espirito Santo… well that is a question that will go unanswered.
Because, after Tottenham expressed an interest in bringing the £30 million Spain international to England, Odriozola opted for Florence instead, his arm twisted by the perseverance of former Los Blancos ace Jose Callejon (TMW).
Did Alvaro Odriozola make the right call heading to Serie A?
“Before the transfer, I spoke to Callejon and he spoke very highly of the city, the club, the coach and the players,” Odriozola said. “Jose did everything he could to get me to join Fiorentina.”
“I want to thank Fiorentina and coach Italiano for showing faith in me. I’ve been made to feel very welcome in the past couple of days.”
After three years wasting away on the Real Madrid bench, a little dash of TLC certainly goes a long way. Ignored and overlooked in the Spanish capital, Odriozola just wants to feel valued again.
“The proposed playing style at Fiorentina really appealed to me. Part of the reason I’ve seized this opportunity is to play in a beautiful city like Florence – I’ve always dreamt of playing for a team like Fiorentina,” the former Sociedad flyer adds.
“It’s a historic club that has had great players like (Gabriel) Batistuta, (Roberto) Baggio and Borja Valero. I want to make Fiorentina as successful as possible. I’ll try to give the best possible account of myself.”
Tottenham did end up bringing in another hungry young right-back from a La Liga giant on deadline day, completing a £26 million deal for Barcelona’s Brazil international Emerson Royal.
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