Luccin explains Blues snub
05 Sep 2007 - 12:40:07
Former Atletico Madrid midfielder Peter Luccin has revealed he snubbed a move to Birmingham City because he felt Real Zaragoza would be a better option to further his career.
The 28-year-old Frenchman turned the Blues down at the last minute to stay in Spain, where he has also played for Celta Vigo.
Luccin admitted: "I wanted to bounce back with an ambitious club, I am very happy.
"We will play in the UEFA Cup and we will aim to finish as high as possible in the league and why not even consider a shot at the title?
"I chose to come here because the offer was more appealing than Atletico or even Birmingham."
However, Blues boss Steve Bruce is not too disappointed about the snub, having quickly brought in Celta Vigo's Borja Oubina as an alternative to Luccin.
He told the Birmingham Mail: "Very early in the week it looked odds-on as if he was going to Benfica. That didn't happen and we jumped in quickly.
"He's a quality player, he captained his club last season and played 30-odd times. He has two caps for Spain and I'm delighted he's come here."