Ruslan Malinovskyi has distanced himself from reports linking the Atalanta midfielder with a move to Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur, while telling the Kyiv Cake YouTube channel that he was an Arsenal fan growing up.
Don’t believe everything you read.
That’s the point Malinovskyi is determined to make, breaking silence following a summer of sustained speculation. Report suggesting the Ukraine international fell out with La Dea coach Gian Piero Gasperini, he says, are wide of the mark.
And while Malinovskyi was not quite so forthcoming when asked about those Tottenham links, he did point out that, on many occasions, there is smoke without fire.
Tottenham Hotspur reportedly wanted Ruslan Malinovskyi
“They (the media) write a lot of things. But 80 per cent of them are untrue; starting with any relationship between a football player and a club, and a football player and a coach. It’s all a lie,” says Malinovskyi; the £43 million-rated playmaker having also been linked with West Ham United, Leicester City Nottingham Forest and Inter Milan.
“I have never had any conflicts with the club or with (Gasperini). I even talked to him before the end of the transfer window. And he told me: ‘If there is an option with a better contract, with better conditions, I will be happy for you’.
“I played 100 matches in exactly three seasons. I’m very pleased that I have played so many matches. And with so many goals and assists in Serie A. I believe that it is not so easy.”
According to Tuttomercatoweb, the left-footed Malinovskyi has agreed a new deal at Atalanta. One that keeps him at the Serie A pacesetters until 2025.
And while Malinovskyi had spent much of the summer being linked with Tottenham, his heart belongs – or, at least, belonged – to another London giant.
“There were many teams. Of course, I supported Arsenal when I was little. But it’s not the same Arsenal as it is now,” the 29-year-old adds. “I was a fan of Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal. I’m not anymore.”
Atalanta are unbeaten in 10 Serie A matches this term. Only Napoli are keeping Gasperini’s increasingly organised and well-drilled side off the top of the table.
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