Antonio Nusa endured a ‘very hard’ final week of the transfer window with the Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford target missing out on a £31 million move to the Premier League.
There were talks with Tottenham Hotspur. Brentford, meanwhile, agreed a deal which would have set them back an initial £25 million.
But Antonio Nusa, when the clock struck 11pm on deadline day night, was still a Club Brugge player, HITC Football having been informed that a knee issue scuppered the Norway international’s hopes of joining Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland in English football.
Amid all the uncertainty, and the understandable disappointment, Nusa will now be left out of the Club Brugge squad for the upcoming fixtures with Royal Antwerp and Union Saint-Gilloise, coach Ronny Deila insisting that the teenager could do with some time out of the limelight.
Tottenham and Brentford wanted Antonio Nusa
“It’s been a very hard week for him and everyone. After everything that happened, Antonio needs some rest. It’s sad but, at the same time, we look ahead,” the former Celtic boss tells Het Nieuwsblad.
“The positive thing is that we can still call on him this season.”
Deila had made no secret of his desire to keep Nusa, even if he did admit that a Tottenham side playing an exciting brand of forward-thinking football under Ange Postecoglou might have been a fitting destination for a player some have labelled Norway’s answer to Neymar.
‘It’s sad’
“He has traveled a lot and had many conversations. And, then, there was that sudden twist,” Deila adds, referring to the knee problem which had Brentford backing away.
“We talk to him every day. He’s a boy we have to take care of. I hope to get the best out of him again soon. It remains to be seen when we will see the best Nusa again. If that doesn’t work this season, maybe next season.”
Whether Nusa is still a Club Brugge player by the time 2024/25 kicks off depends, perhaps, on whether the 18-year-old can ease those fitness fears over the coming months. You can guarantee that Tottenham, Brentford and co will be watching the situation closely.
Spurs, meanwhile, do appear set to sign another of Europe’s rising talents. Lucas Bergvall should join in an £8.5 million deal with Barcelona missing out on the Djurgardens wonderkid.
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