Brighton man details previous Atletico Madrid interest – Still keeping a close eye on former club
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Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Mats Wieffer has admitted he was on Atletico Madrid's radar in the past, but nothing concrete came of it.
1908.nl cover comments from the Brighton midfielder today in which he also admits he's keeping a close eye on former club Feyenoord from the south coast.
Wieffer joined Brighton in a €32m deal from the Dutch club in the summer as one of the numerous major arrivals at the club as part of the Seagulls' big summer spend to reshape the squad.
The move certainly raised eyebrows and was seen as something of a coup for Brighton given Wieffer had been linked with the likes of Liverpool and Atletico Madrid in the months before.
He's now provided details on the previous interest from the Spanish side, insisting that they never offered anything concrete to him after initial overtures.
“The club registered just after the KNVB Cup final against NEC, which I had to miss due to an injury," he explained.
"A move abroad has always been something that I aspired to. Bundesliga, Premier League, LaLiga. Last winter, a move to Atlético Madrid was close. I spoke to the club; the story was good.
“But the clubs did not reach an agreement. Feyenoord did not want to let me go. We were involved in the battle for the Champions League places. The club did not want to lose first-team players. I understood that. After that I heard nothing more from Atlético. Nothing concrete anyway.”
His focus is now on Brighton, where he's had something of a slow start to date with just 14 appearances and 528 minutes to date.
He's keen to establish himself and prove his quality in the Premier League, but injuries and the big competition in Brighton's midfield has limited that for the time being.
That, though, doesn't mean he's forgotten about his former club, who he's keeping a close eye on from England.
“I have absolutely not forgotten Feyenoord," he added.
"If possible, I follow the matches live on television. I regularly speak with Dávid Hancko, Quilindschy Hartman and Timon Wellenreuther. We even watched the first half of De Klassieker against Ajax together at Brighton in the dressing room prior to our League Cup match against Liverpool."
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