“Every player has certain expectations” – Player says he snubbed Southampton, waiting for better opportunity
Racing Genk forward Jonathan Paintsil has revealed he turned down Leeds United and Southampton this summer as they don’t match his ambitions.
The forward has been speaking to Het Laatste Nieuws regarding the summer transfer window, which saw him heavily linked with a move away from the Belgian club.
The forward had earned himself plenty of admirers in Europe this summer after an impressive season for Genk that saw him back 18 goals and 14 assists in 39 games in all competitions.
Those are impressive numbers to say the least and had clubs in England particularly keen, with relegated duo Leeds and Southampton both trying to make a move happen.
They were both keen to sign the 25-year-old to reinforce their squads, as they look to get back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, and made bids to that effect.
Genk seemed happy to sell for the right price, but it was Paintsil who stopped the transfers from happening, with various reports making it clear that he was eyeing a move to somewhere other than the Championship.
That’s a desire he has now expressed publically, explaining why he turned down Leeds and Southampton when they approached him this summer.
“I’m still here. There were many rumors, many possibilities,” he said.
“When my agent said that I could go to Southampton and Leeds United, it quickly became clear to me that I did not want to leave Genk for those clubs.
“Look, every player has certain expectations. My dream is to one day play in the Premier League. Or at least in a top five European league.
“I don’t want to say that Southampton and Leeds are bad teams, but they couldn’t convince me. After my performances I expected more last season. I want to have another season here to see which clubs offer themselves.
“I also believe in our team. Despite the departure of Mike (Trésor, to Burnley), we are still strong. Based on our qualities, we can play for the title again, just like last year.”
Southampton Boss ‘Proud’ Of Players Despite Heavy Defeat
Southampton manager Russell Martin says he is proud of his players, despite suffering a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Championship promotion rivals Leicester City last night.
The two teams went into the fixture at St Mary’s last night having lost their previous fixture before the international break, although Southampton arguably had the most to prove having been thumped 5-0 by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
The night started off in the worst possible fashion when the evergreen Jamie Vardy handed the Foxes a first minute lead, and the advantage was doubled in the 18th minute by Kasey McAteer. The Saints pulled a goal back through Samuel Edozie midway through the first half but Wilfred Ndidi restored the two goal lead in added time.
Southampton started the second half brightly, pushing the visitors further back as they searched for a way back into the game. However, the gamble failed to pay off and Stephy Mavididi killed the tie off in the 67th minute with a counter-attacking move.
The win saw Leicester move top of the table, whilst Southampton now find themselves playing catch up in seventh. Their successive big defeats see them with an unenviable -5 goal difference and they know that they have to recover – starting with the visit of Ipswich Town on Tuesday night.
Speaking after the game, manager Russell Martin refused to condemn his players, instead saying that it was a much better performance and that they were unlucky not to get anything out of the game. Via Leicestershire Live, the 37-year-old said;
“It is a very different feeling to Sunderland (5-0 defeat). I am proud of the players, people will criticise me for saying that but they did what we asked of them.
“I take loads from that and it was a much better performance than Sunderland. If anyone expected there not to be any pain when it is such a big change then they are very naive.
“Leicester lost the ball as much as we did but they have come out on the right end of the scoreline so Enzo (Maresca) will not get criticised. I asked the players to go toe to toe with a really good team and I thought it was a very good game.
“We made life difficult for ourselves by conceding two early goals. They were really clinical and we weren’t. They took their chances and we didn’t.”
Writer’s View
It’s an odd stance to take following a 4-1 defeat, especially because Southampton have now conceded nine goals in two games. However, he is right in that his team did dominate large parts of the game, although Leicester were happy to defend their two-goal lead in the second half before picking them off with a fourth goal. A defeat against Ipswich on Tuesday could see the pressure begin to mount, which shows how quickly things can turn in football.
The Saints won three of their opening four fixtures and looked to be one of the teams to beat in the Championship. They expectation is that they will still return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, but Russell Martin needs to stop the rot before questions start to be asked as to whether he is the right man to lead the charge.
