• ‘If I didn’t know how to control a ball then I may have gone to England’ • Konoplyanka pleased to have joined Europa League holders Sevilla

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Ukraine winger Yevhen Konoplyanka has insisted he has no regrets over snubbing the Premier League in favour of a move to Sevilla this summer, describing La Liga as the best in the world.

The 25-year-old was wanted by Liverpool, Tottenham and Stoke but opted instead to move to the Europa League holders when his contract with Dnipro expired at the end of last season.

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“If I was two-and-a-half metres tall and didn’t know how to control a ball then I may have gone to England, but here [in Spain], the football’s more technical. It’s the best,” he said.

“I don’t regret coming to Spain. I didn’t receive many offers. Some came from the Premier League and Sevilla and Atlético from Spain, but I kept thinking that Sevilla were right for me.

“I was very anxious when making my choice, to the point that I got nervous and lost three kilos beforehand. I loved Sevilla’s insistence on signing me, so I think I made the right decision.”