Southampton defender Valentino Livramento has justified his decision to leave Chelsea while admitting that he would be open to returning to Chelsea in future.
Speaking to reporters at a England under-21 press conference ahead of the game against Slovenia, as quoted by Sky Sports, Valentino Livramento has spoken up about his move away from Chelsea in the summer transfer window while also talking about the prospect of returning to Stamford Bridge.
Valentino Livramento is widely regarded as one of the brightest young talents to have emerged from the famed Chelsea academy in recent years. However, after failing to envision a future for himself in the first-team setup, the 18-year-old chose to call it quits at the west London club in favour of greener pastures.
The said greener pastures has come in the form of a cross-Premier League switch to Southampton, with the Saints signing him on a £5 million deal in the summer transfer window. And while Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have not made the brightest of starts to the 2021/22 season, Livramento has been one of the shining lights for them.
Indeed, Southampton are one of four teams yet to win a game after the first seven rounds of fixtures in the Premier League. Livramento, though, is adamant that the decision to leave Chelsea came at the right time for him, although he is open to returning to rejoining the Blues in future.
The former Chelsea trainee said, “I feel like if I stayed there or did other things, then [playing Premier League football] wouldn’t have happened as quick as it has now. I wouldn’t say I have any regrets but it would have been nice [to have played for Chelsea]. I had to think what was best for me. Being young, I’ve always wanted to just play first-team football as soon as possible.”
“It was a hard decision for everyone involved. They agreed that it was best for me as well and they’ve always looked after me. I was at Chelsea for so long and grew up a fan and never played at Stamford Bridge in a competitive game. Saturday was a bit weird but I just enjoyed it that bit more playing against Chelsea and people I have trained against.”
“I’ll never have a bad word to say about how they treated me growing up and developing me into the player I am today. It’s probably the best academy in the world that anyone would want to go to and develop. Maybe one day, but I’m just enjoying my football at the moment at Southampton, that’s where my head’s at right now. Just trying to pick up as many points as possible and improving individually.”
The prospect of returning to Chelsea might not be realised soon enough, especially with Reece James establishing himself as one of the regulars under Thomas Tuchel. However, one can never say never and it remains to be seen if he rejoins the Blues in the future, although for now, he is being linked with Manchester United, among others.
