Joan Jordan will be expected to do what he does best when Sevilla go head-to-head with West Ham United in the Europa League next month. Set the tempo, orchestrate proceedings and create a smooth, rhythmic beat with his stylish passing range.
But if things had worked out differently, Jordan would perhaps be going into March’s round-of-16 clash wearing claret-and-blue rather than the red-and-white of Seville.
“I was very close to moving to England,” Jordan told The Athletic two years ago. “I had an interesting offer.
“But then Monchi (Sevilla’s legendary director of football) called me, and I stopped everything with the Premier League.”
It was July 2019 when West Ham came knocking. Manuel Pellegrini, manager at the time, had identified Jordan as the ideal addition to his London Stadium midfield.
But, after an impressive campaign at Eibar, the chance to continue his La Liga career with a club of Sevilla’s size and stature was an opportunity too good to turn down as far as Jordan was concerned.
“The project here, and the club, was very interesting for me,” explains the 27-year-old Catalonian.
Can West Ham knock out Sevilla?
What’s more, Jordan accepted a lower wage at Sevilla to the one on offer the English capital. Money isn’t everything however and Jordan can point to his 2020 Europa League winner’s medal as justification for his decision.
“On a financial level, I lost out a bit,” adds Jordan, who set Sevilla back £13 million but would now cost in excess of £30 million (The Sun).
“As we all know, the financial level in the Premier League is spectacularly strong. But I wanted to come here, to improve as a player, which was my objective.
“If I had moved there (West Ham)… I don’t know if it would have gone so well.”
With David Moyes’ side set to face off against one of the tournament’s clear favourites – the six-time champions who’s name has become almost synonymous with Europa League success – Jordan has the ideal opportunity to remind West Ham what they could’ve won.
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