Aston Villa, Chelsea, and Tottenham all wanted Artem Dovbyk before he joined Roma, as his agent suggested it was an ‘instinctive’ decision.
According to Graeme Bailey on TBR Football, Artem Dovbyk had plenty of interest from Premier League clubs during the summer before he made the move to Roma. The Ukrainian striker chose the Serie A giants in a £32 million deal in what has been described as an ‘instinctive’ decision despite the overtures of English and Spanish clubs.
Artem Dovbyk was an interesting name in the summer transfer window. Following his stellar season with Girona, he finished the season as La Liga’s top scorer. A host of clubs were showing interest, as many anticipated Girona might have a fire sale.
The player had many Premier League clubs chasing him, and Chelsea was serious at one stage when they stepped up their striker search. The Blues eventually put all their eggs in Victor Osimhen’s basket and ended up not signing the Nigerian international while finishing the window without signing a top-draw centre-forward.
Aston Villa were keen at one stage as they were mulling over Jhon Duran’s future. The Colombian striker had notable interest up until he signed a new deal, which included clubs like Barcelona, West Ham United, and even Chelsea. Hence, Unai Emery was open to signing a striker like Artem Dovbyk contingent on selling Duran, which never happened.
Incidentally, Tottenham were also in the mix and looked at Dovbyk before they agreed on a deal for Dominic Solanke. The Ukrainian striker ended up joining AS Roma in a £32 million deal, which one of his agents described as an ‘instinctive’ decision from the striker despite interest from English sides as well as Atletico Madrid.
Dovbyk chose AS Roma on instinct
Artem Dovbyk could have chosen the clubs if he had made a concerted decision about his future. But the £32 million striker chose Roma in the end. The usage of the term ‘instinctive’ by his agent suggests it was more on how the striker felt about the Italian giants.
He said, “Now, this was a complicated transfer. My brother Gabriele [who led the talks] knows something about it. Several Premier League clubs wanted Dovbyk and, as is known, Atletico Madrid, with whom a real sporting battle was triggered. [But] his will was always to go to Roma because he felt a bond with this club that came to him instinctively.”
At AS Roma, he has been shining in recent weeks, scoring thrice and assisting once in their last four games. The Serie A outfit made an important financial commitment to bring the Ukrainian striker to the club, and it does appear like a good investment.
