Denzel Dumfries has given an honest account about his decision to turn down an offer from Everton in favour of moving to Inter Milan.
The 25-year-old was a standout performer at Euro 2020 for the Netherlands, contributing to 37% of his nation’s goals with two strikes and one assist in four games.
His form for Oranje was such that several high-profile European clubs sought to acquire his services from PSV in the summer, with the attacking full-back ultimately deciding on the San Siro.
Inter were in the midst of a fire sale shortly after claiming the Serie A title under Antonio Conte, with the now Tottenham manager joining a host of key men out the door, including Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi.
The former rejoined Chelsea seven years after leaving Stamford Bridge permanently for Everton, while the latter moved to PSG as one of several eye-catching transfers in the French capital, leaving a huge void at right-back for summer appointment Simone Inzaghi.
Inter ultimately identified Dumfries as the man to remedy Hakimi’s departure, and after a somewhat inconsistent start to life in the Italian top flight, the Dutchman is now thriving, recently netting the winner against Torino to strengthen the Nerazzurri‘s position atop the Serie A table.
Inzaghi’s men are currently on a run of seven successive wins in Serie A and four points ahead of rivals AC Milan in second. Dumfries has now explained his decision to join the Italian champions, rejecting the chance to move to the Premier League in the process.
He told Voetbal International: “It took some time to close the deal, but when it happened, I had goosebumps.
“I was talking to [my agent Mino] Raiola every day, I strongly wanted to join Inter. I had an offer from Everton, but I didn’t think twice about coming here.
“They have a great tradition in Italy and Europe and they are the champions of Italy. The city of Milan also had an impact on my choice.
“[In November] I played the first derby of Milan in my career and it was incredible. The stadium was full.
“These are things you dream about when you are a footballer.”