Sheffield Wednesday signed Van Aken from Heerenveen in August.
Joost van Aken has revealed he had offers to join clubs in bigger European leagues than Holland before he signed for Sheffield Wednesday.
Wednesday landed the former Heerenveen centre-back on the penultimate day of the summer transfer window, in a deal which could be worth in excess of £4 million, according to the Sheffield Star.
The same publication reported in August that Italian side Lazio and Turks Konyaspor had both expressed an interest in Van Aken.
And in an interview with Football Oranje, the 23-year-old admitted: “When you are playing as a young centre-back and you are doing well there comes some offers. There came some offers for me from clubs in bigger competitions in Europe than the Dutch league, but in this moment [I did not have the] feeling that I was ready to leave the country, so that was the reason I stayed.
Asked if that meant he had turned down offers, he replied: “Yes, yes. I don’t speak about names but in that situation there were good teams and of course you like to play at the highest level, but you have to be realistic I think – if it’s a good option.
“Of course when you train with better players it’s a chance to develop, but the most important thing is to play matches.”
Van Aken has certainly not struggled for regular game time in Sheffield, with Saturday’s defeat against Derby County the first game he has missed so far.
The former Netherlands Under-21 international made an encouraging start to his Hillsborough career, delighting Owls fans with his range of passing in particular.
However, Carlos Carvalhal’s side have found life difficult of late, losing four of their last five matches, which has helped to expose Van Aken’s flaws.
Will Van Aken come good for Sheffield Wednesday?
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