Club Brugge striker Antonio Nusa decided to reject potential moves to the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea after breaking out as a star of the Belgian club, his former manager has revealed.
The Blues were linked with a £23million move for the 18-year-old late in the summer transfer window but Gaute Larsen, who coached Nusa at previous club Stabaek, has given an insight into his decision to stay put.
He is quoted by Sport Witness as saying: “I said that he should stay at Club Brugge and he wanted that too, especially now that he plays more.”
Furthermore, Larsen tipped Nusa to complete a move to one of Europe’s top clubs as early as the next transfer window.
He said: “There’s no hurry. I told him that there will be offers again in January or next summer, because big clubs all over the world are following him.”
Despite his tender age, Nusa has already clocked up 46 appearances for Brugge with the vast majority of his 10 outings this season coming as a starter, while he made his senior Norway debut earlier this month.
The player recently commented on his collapsed move to Chelsea, which reportedly collapsed following Standard Sport’s report that as many as 20 clubs are tracking his progress.
“I already knew that it wasn’t going to happen, but then the money came on the table,” he said.
“Then it’s seen in a slightly different way. We had to have another conversation when the money arrived, but we were on the same page, so there was no problem there. I knew what to do anyway, so it was fine.
“That’s a lot of money. A lot of money. But I try not to think about it so much. I can’t focus on that, you know. I don’t think it’s good for me.
“We are talking about very big clubs and that’s where you dream of being in the future. I try not to think about money at all. There’s a lot of money in football, so that’s not what’s on my mind. It’s where I can develop best and become as good as possible.”
