'I wanted to go' - WBA player claims Bilic tried to sign him in previous job
West Brom loanee Filip Krovinovic has revealed that Slaven Bilic tried to sign him before he took over in the dugout at The Hawthorns.
The Benfica midfielder rejoined the Baggies on a temporary deal in the latter stages of the transfer window, having helped the club to promotion during the 2019/20 campaign.
But the player has claimed that his Croatian compatriot tried to secure a deal for him while he was still in charge of Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad Jeddah.
As quoted by the Birmingham Mail, he said: “So before the first year I had some contact with him. He had an interest to bring me to Saudi Arabia.
“I wanted to go, it would only have been a loan from the winter to the summer, but Benfica didn’t let me go so I didn’t go.
“From that day we kept in contact. He said we’ll see about this summer [2019], if I stay here or go somewhere else, I’ll keep in contact.
"It’s always good to have a relationship with the manager like that, and especially if you can give that back on the pitch.”
We're big fans of this.
The fact that Bilic has pursued Krovinovic for so long is concrete proof that he is a huge admirer of the player, and it's pleasing to know that the boss has been able to bring in a talent that he really wants, rather than having to make do with second best.
And hopefully that should mean that we see plenty of Krovinovic this season too.
The Croatian had a sticky start to life in England, but he really found his stride over the second half of last season, and there's a reason why Bilic was so keen to snap him up for a second season.
Here's hoping he can keep his good form going in the top flight.
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