PSV newcomer candid: “I wanted to go, but it wasn’t possible”
1 min readLast month, Kodai Sano signed for PSV. It would not have taken much for it to be the case that the midfielder had never come to Eindhoven.
That lets the PSV player know in an interview with Voetbal International. ''I don't have the experience of a player who has been doing this for a very long time. But last year was a very good learning experience. Essentially, what it comes down to for me in the first place is: I love football. I can always return to that feeling if something happens that I don't yet understand or that I have no influence on. Back to my love for football and showing that on the pitch,'' Sano tells VI.
Last season, the midfielder could move from NEC to Ajax during the winter break, and last summer it seemed the Japanese player was on his way to TSG Hoffenheim in Germany. In the end, the latter club called off the transfer after signing Nathan De Cat.
Besides Ajax, Nottingham Forest was also interested in the current PSV player, but despite that, NEC did not allow the midfielder to leave. ''That was a tough period. I wanted to go, but it couldn't. I tried to stay calm and understand the decisions. Luckily, I can focus very well on football, because I know that if I don't, I'm more likely to get injured. I don't want that. It's not easy, but if I think too much about things that do or don't happen, it doesn't help me. I shift my thoughts then. I'm happy because I'm healthy and can play football,'' said Sano.
The Japanese player also returned to the Japanese selection. Sano was, in fact, left out of the squad last summer for the World Cup in North America.
Last Thursday, the PSV player was in the starting lineup during the friendly match Japan - Uruguay (3-1). In the middle of the match, Sano was replaced by Daichi Kamada.
Last Monday, the Japanese played a friendly match against Venezuela, which ended 2-1 for Japan thanks to two goals by former Feyenoord striker Ayase Ueda. Sano remained on the bench for that match for ninety minutes, just like last Thursday against Ecuador (0-0).
Comments3
"Ik wilde gaan, maar het kon niet" ... bruh, dat klinkt als elke transferwindow bij PSV 😂 Maar vooruit kijken is wel zijn wapen. Jammer dat hij tegen Uruguay na rust wisselde, maar goed signaal dat hij sowieso startte.
Ik vind het vooral sterk dat hij zegt terug te keren naar "liefde voor voetbal" als dingen hem overstijgen. En ja, als NEC hem blokkeert is het logisch frustrerend, maar hij is wel fit gebleven, wat je later terugziet in de intensiteit. Benieuwd of hij tegen ploegen die compact spelen beter gaat sturen met rust.
Dat "Ik wilde gaan, maar het kon niet" herken ik wel. Tbh die zomer met Hoffenheim en Forest had wel die vibe van doorbreken, maar dan pak je gewoon PSV en ga je groeien. Hopelijk wordt die leerschool nu ook echt winst voor ons.