Cabral: Regular football was Sunderland attraction

Recent Sunderland signing Cabral rejected the chance to compete in the UEFA Champions League in order to play under Paolo Di Canio.

The 24-year-old midfielder has revealed he had plenty of offers to mull over prior to moving to the Stadium of Light from Basel.

Cabral is convinced he made the right decision as he looks forward to forming part of Di Canio’s plans for the future, with the Italian preparing for his first full season at the club.

“I had a lot of offers and a lot of clubs were interested in me, including some who were in the Champions League,” Cabral told The Sunderland Echo.

“I think I wanted to choose a club where the coach was ambitious. I had two conversations with Di Canio and I got the sense that he wanted to achieve something here with the players he was looking to bring in.

“I wanted to come to Sunderland and play in the Premier League. I’d prefer to come to Sunderland than Arsenal, Everton or Tottenham where I might only be on the bench.”

Cabral, who has experience of playing in the Champions League, won five league titles and three domestic cups during his spell at St Jakob-Park.

He believes the time was right for a change and has adjusted well to pre-season training at Sunderland.

“It was a good note to leave the club on after winning the league again. But it was the right decision to leave,” he continued.

“I needed a change. I’d spent four years there and everyone was great with me. But I wanted to progress in my career.

“There’s a good atmosphere around the team and I’m enjoying the training. It’s been really hard from the first day.”

Sunderland have been one of the most active Premier League teams in the transfer window so far, signing six players.