Vlahovic: Why I rejected Arsenal & took Ronaldo’s shirt

FT Desk

1 Feb 2022 05:21 CST
4 min read

Dusan Vlahovic has revealed why he rejected a move to Arsenal and explained the reasons for taking Cristiano Ronaldo’s number seven shirt.

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Vlahovic completed an €80 million transfer to Juventus from Fiorentina in the closing days of the January market, becoming the most expensive winter signing in Serie A history.

The 22-year-old rejected offers from Arsenal and Spurs in order to join Juventus, with reports that his entourage did not even reply to the Gunners when they tabled their bids.

What did Vlahovic say?

“I am thrilled and proud to have signed with Juventus. A glorious club. I am ready to give my best for the team and obtain great results. I want to thank the Juventus President and all the people that brought me here,” said Vlahovic on Tuesday during his unveiling.

“There were many rumours about foreign clubs, but the choice was easy because the club and I have a similar DNA. Fight and suffer when needed. I think it’s part of my mentality as well, so the choice was not difficult.”

Vlahovic will wear the No.7 shirt, which was previously owned by Cristiano Ronaldo before the Portuguese superstar returned to Manchester United during the final days of the summer transfer window.

“The No.7 jersey represents nothing. All the numbers are important here. I chose it because it’s the closest to No.9,” Vlahovic explained.

“I am here to help my teammates and reach our targets. The shirt number is not important. Determination and commitment are what matter the most. I don’t care about the rest. The most important thing is to win games.

Vlahović: "First of all, I want to thank all those who worked with me at @acffiorentina: teammates, managers, president and coaches, and also the whole city of Florence and all the fans who supported me, for better or for worse."#DV7 pic.twitter.com/RxnkevSdLh
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) February 1, 2022

“[Will I live in the same home as Ronaldo did?] I don’t think so. I must remain humble. The pitch is all that matters. Winning games is all I want. The rest is not too important.

“My target here is to settle in as quickly as possible and get to know all my teammates, even if I’ve already known them on the pitch.

“I want to know them off the pitch and become friends. Having a good relationship with everyone is crucial to reaching important targets.

“Allegri welcomed me well, I am looking forward to starting and helping the team. I am really happy.”

Vlahovic has emerged over the past year as arguably the best young striker in world football after Erling Haaland and the hottest property on the January transfer market.

The ex-Partizan Belgrade forward is the current joint top-scorer in Serie A and only Robert Lewandowski scored more than Vlahovic’s 33 league goals in Europe’s top 10 leagues in 2021.