Another day, another twist in the Botman saga.
According to The Chronicle, the famous Italian publication, La Gazzetta Dello Sport have run an image of Sven Botman mocked up in an AC Milan kit along with a headline: “Botman Only Wants Milan”.
Botman had told Lille he wanted his future sorted before he went on holiday after his duties with the Netherlands Under 21 team were wrapped up, which hasn’t happened. Reading between the lines, what he was actually saying to Lille was “accept Milan’s offer so I can go there”.
Given that he was allegedly so keen on joining Newcastle he is certainly dragging his heels since Milan entered the frame which only begs the question: Is it finally time to move on from this one? With Newcastle’s project kicking on next season, we need players who are 100% committed to the cause and it doesn’t seem like Botman will be. Even if we do end up finally signing him, is he going to have one eye on Milan wondering what could have been?
There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Botman would be a fantastic signing, he’s young, talented, and could lead the defence for years to come, but at a certain point, you have to face up to the fact that some deals just aren’t worth spending this much energy on. Newcastle have other targets in mind if this one fails, maybe it’s time to pursue those.