New Bologna signing Valentin Antov admits that new Brexit rules scuppered his chances of a move to the Premier League amid interest from Arsenal, as reported by Corriere dello Sport.
If the Gunners had made their move for a 20-year-old Bulgaria international last summer, Antov would probably already be part of Mikel Arteta’s squad.
But, as the clocks chimed 12 on New Year’s Day, any hopes the youngster had of a life-changing move to one of England’s biggest clubs went up in smoke.
Fakti Akmu claimed that a January switch to North London was rendered ‘impossible’ by post-Brexit legislation.
The new rules make it exceedingly difficult for Premier League clubs to sign players who represent a country sitting outside of the top 50 in FIFA’s World Rankings.
Antov’s Bulgaria are 68th.
So the youngster was forced to settle for Serie A instead, sealing a deadline day move to Bologna.
“It is no longer possible to go to England due to Brexit. Now I’m only interested in Bologna,” explained a man who captained Bulgarian giants CSKA Sofia at the age of just 20, before revealing that he is, in fact, a Chelsea fan.
TMW report that Bologna agreed an initial loan deal complete with an obligation-to-buy clause, with the agreement setting them back around £3 million.
“He is a defender who uses physical strength but also has technical qualities. In fact, when he played in the youth teams, he was sometimes used as a midfielder,” said Angelo Cristofoletti, an agent involved in his deadline-day move to Italy.
“He is a great leader, he was the captain of the most famous team in the Bulgarian league.”
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