Spartak Moscow talisman Ezequiel Ponce has admitted he rejected a move to England after being linked with Leeds United, speaking to Soccer.ru.
If he could turn the clock back, would this 23-year-old Argentine make the same decision again?
Elland Road was a very different place when Leeds were linked with Ponce in 2018.
Marcelo Bielsa was just a few months into the job and, while there was no shortage of cautious optimism in West Yorkshire, few would have dared to dream Leeds would be sitting pretty in the top half of the Premier League table two-and-a-half years later.
Ponce, meanwhile, has spent the past few seasons looking to rebuild his reputation after disappointing spells at Roma, Granada and a Lille side then coached by a certain bespectacled, bucket-perching tactician.
And, after scoring nine times in 19 games for Spartak Moscow this season, Ponce hasn’t lost hope of proving himself in a major European league.
“Would I like to go back to Italy? Why not? It would be interesting to test myself again considering that, since I was at Roma, I have grown as a player and gained experience,” says Ponce, who joined Spartak for about £7 million.
“There was interest from England and Italy. But I refused, because I thought that now was not the time.”
Walter Sabatini was key to a deal that saw Ponce join Roma from Newell’s Old Boys in 2015 and came calling again when taking on a new role at Serie A rivals Bologna.
“The same sporting director who once invited me to Roma worked there – Walter Sabatini,” Ponce adds.
“To persuade me to move to Italy, he flew to my home in Argentina. I still remember how the three of us had dinner – me, dad and Walter, who told me why I needed to choose Roma.
“Then I agreed but, this time, I decided to stay at Spartak.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
