During each transfer window, there are players who reject tempting offers and stay in their current teams. Most explain these decisions by loyalty to their current clubs, but there are also those whose reasons are exceptional. This winter, this was the case with Croatian talent Nikola Vlašić's decision to reject a lucrative offer from an English club.
The goalkeeper playing at HNK Hajduk Split received an unspecified "Premier League" club's offer of 10 million euros this winter, but he rejected it. The main reason for this decision is not the small amount, the possibility of staying on the bench, or the 18-year-old's reluctance to leave his homeland early - the Croatian rejected the offer because he does not want to disrupt his sister's preparation for the Olympic Games.
The older sister of the Croatian - Blanka Vlašić, has won a silver Olympic medal and twice become a World Champion in the high jump discipline. The 32-year-old athlete will participate in the Olympic Games in Brazil this summer.
Their father - Joško Vlašić, who is Blanka's coach, revealed that his son had received a tempting offer from a "Premier League" club.
"All I can say is that an English team made an offer for Nikola and wanted him to join their club and play, instead of sitting on the bench or being loaned out to another team," Joško told Goal.
Although the footballer's father admitted that the goalkeeper still has room for improvement at his current club, he acknowledged that this decision was made for the sake of his sister's training plans.
"After consulting with the family, we decided that this winter was not the right time for him to leave Split. This is not because we doubt his abilities, but because he can still improve at Hajduk. His departure in January would disrupt the plans of most of our family - I would have to accompany him to England, while Blanka is currently preparing for the Olympics. Because it would affect her and our entire family, we decided to stay in Split for a little longer," revealed the athletes' father to journalists.
The Croatian talent, who has already played as a defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder, both wing forwards, and center forward due to his ability to successfully play in various positions and mature play at Hajduk, has already attracted the attention of several European giants. Nikola has been linked with a possible move to Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal, or Inter Milan.
The footballer's father understands that such a decision is risky in a young player's career, but hopes that it will pay off, and there will be even bigger offers for Nikola in the future.
"The amount that club wanted to pay for him was truly huge, but we believe that Nikola can become even better. We will keep in touch with that club, which already wanted him and has been following my son's game for a long time. Without a doubt, we understand that we may not receive such an offer again, but we refuse to think about it. We will do everything we can to steer his career in the right direction," said Joško Vlašić.
The Croatian under-21 player can only hope that his decision will help his sister win an Olympic medal, and Nikola himself will increase interest in him with his constantly improving performances in the Croatian league. Whether such a decision will help him and Blanka will be shown in the future, but it is already clear that such a player's choice will be discussed both in case of failure and when both achieve their goals.
