Southampton defender Maya Yoshida revealed in an interview with the club’s official website that he turned down a possible move away from St Mary’s Stadium last summer.
The Japan international has emerged as a crucial player for Ralph Hasenhuttl following his appointment in December and is now a regular in the starting line-up.
However, things could have been somewhat different for Yoshida, who had offers from Saudi Arabia during the summer transfer window.
The defender, who has been at Southampton since their promotion back to the Premier League in 2012, was reportedly targeted by Al Hilal, who aimed to bring the centre-back away from Europe.
Yoshida was evidently reluctant to depart St Mary’s, though, and stayed put to help the club in the ongoing campaign.
The 30-year-old reflected on his decision to snub interest from elsewhere in the summer and stated that he remains happy at Southampton. He said:
In the last window [last summer], there was interest in me from Saudi Arabia, but I don’t work for the money.
I have a good contract with Southampton. If I had an offer from another Premier League club on the same level for an extra one million, I would choose to stay at Southampton and finish a beautiful career with good friends.
If I get an offer from another country, maybe I will decide to see a different part of the world, but no one knows in the future. I think I have a good relationship with the fans and people know I have improved. I have had good times and bad times, but I am still here.
