Villa happy with decision to snub Premier League move

David Villa snubbed “interesting offers” from Premier League clubs in favour of staying in Spain to join Atletico Madrid from Barcelona.

Villa was formally unveiled as an Atletico player on Monday, when he was mobbed on the pitch by fans at the Estadio Vicente Calderon, following his €5.1million move.

Tottenham and Arsenal were both reported to be interested in signing the Spain international striker before he opted to remain in La Liga, with the 31-year-old convinced he has made the right decision for his career prospects.

He said: “At the beginning we were thinking of moving (to England) because that’s where the most interesting offers were coming from but then Atletico Madrid appeared and within three days they did what probably would have taken us months to do.

“I refer to their personal approach, because you don’t even have to question their professionalism.

“This team finished third last season and competed fiercely with Real Madrid, beating them in the final of the Copa del Rey.

“They are now in the Champions League and have lifted a lot of titles in the last few seasons.

“So in terms of that I didn’t need any convincing to come here.”

The highlights of Villa’s three-year spell at Barcelona included two La Liga title successes and his goal in the 3-1 UEFA Champions League final win over Manchester United.

He added on his Barca career: “I was there for a few years and really enjoyed myself.

“I didn’t play as much as I would have liked last season but that’s just the way it is.

“I am closing one chapter and starting another at a huge club that is Atletico Madrid and now I am looking forward to doing my best to win things here.”