After being heavily linked with a move to Tyneside over recent weeks, NUFC target Ruben Semedo completed a move to Villarreal yesterday and has since admitted why he chose a move to Spain over England.
The Chronicle claim Newcastle’s interest in the ex-Sporting Lisbon centre-back was understood to be genuine, but the deal was believed to have hit complications when the Portuguese side demanded a big future sell on fee.
Semedo said the following after completing his move yesterday:
“I chose Villarreal because I like their style of play.”
“The team has a lot of quality and I think can help the team with my quality.”
“I had other clubs interested in me, good clubs from England, but when I heard the name Villarreal I decided to come here.”
“I’m excited to play in La Liga, to win titles for Villarreal, help the team and have a good season.”
Villarreal finished 5th in La Liga last season, therefore their presence in next years Europa League may have been a contributing factor for Semedo, however it seems he was also attracted by their style of play.
Whilst he admits ‘good clubs’ from England showed an interest (believed to be Newcastle and Southampton), it is clear he had his heart set on a move to Spain.
After watching the hunger and commitment of recent signings such as Matt Ritchie, we only want players who are jumping at the chance to play under Rafa Benitez at Newcastle and Semedo clearly did not fall into that bracket.
Moving on!
