This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Dusan Tadic has revealed in an interview with The Guardian why he feels grateful towards Southampton.
The Serbia international left St Mary’s in the summer of 2018 after joining Ajax in a deal worth £10m, after making 162 appearances for the south coast side following a £10.9m move from FC Twente.
Tadic scored 24 goals and grabbed 35 assists for the Saints during his time at the club, so it feels strange that Southampton agreed to take a tiny loss on the forward who was largely impressive during his time on the south coast.
Now, however, the Ballon d’Or nominee has revealed why that was the case.
What did he say?
Tadic told The Guardian: “A lot of clubs were really interested but I said to Southampton that I only wanted to go to Ajax. Perhaps they wanted me to go to another club, but I was immediately clear. I said: ‘This is the only club that I want to go to.’
“I really appreciate that they let me follow my feeling, because they probably would have received more money from other clubs.”
Kind gesture from Southampton
During his time as the Saints’ No.10, Tadic caused huge problems for opponents with his vision and incisiveness in the final third, and one feels that the club surely could’ve got more than £10m for the Serbian star.
However, as Tadic reveals, he only wanted to go to Ajax, and it was a kind gesture from the Saints to grant him his wishes when, in reality, they could’ve been a lot sterner from a business sense.
The switch to Amsterdam has certainly done wonders for the 31-year-old’s career, as he has been involved in a quite impressive 87 goals in just 82 appearances since moving back to the Netherlands, while also making the semi-finals of the Champions League and earning a nomination for the Ballon d’Or.
It is good to see that there is still respect from Tadic towards the Saints, and that he is appreciative of what they did for him.
In other news, Southampton are coming across as slightly deluded with their valuation over one of Tadic’s former teammates at St Mary’s…