“Imanol likes me, but I didn’t reach an agreement with Real”

Alex Sorloth explained for the first time the reasons that led him to reject an offer from Real, where he was the first option to strengthen their forward line, and accept another from Villarreal, within five seasons at the rate of seven million gross for each. of them.. He does so in an exclusive interview given to the Norwegian podcast ‘LaLigaLoca’, by Jonas Giæver, Petter Veland and Magnar Kvalvik.

This is the translation.

How did you end up at Villarreal?

The first contact was in April, if I remember correctly, because they were probably going to sell Nicolás Jackson. He is leaving. And I talked to La Real about a new contract. We agreed with both clubs, but we did not agree with Real. If they came with a concrete offer I would probably have stayed there, I really enjoyed my stay there. But Villarreal is clearly what they want. They said, ‘We’re going to sell Jackson and then we’re going to sign you.’ They also sold Chukwueze and the day they sold Chukwueze was like a ‘boom’. We had to get on the plane, they reached an agreement with RB Leipzig and the deal was closed. They were very clear and everything they said – remember that in football people promise a lot – this time it went according to plan. And I like it a lot.

So, basically, did you feel you liked Villarreal better?

Yes. And it seemed strange to me and I felt something strange about Real. Like ‘how long will they last?’ I’ve been here for two years and, okay, the first season wasn’t that great and the second season is better. I thought, ‘It’s strange that they’re not sure about my performance today.’ I have come to the conclusion that it seems to be stalling and there seem to be disagreements within the club. Maybe not everyone there likes me, but I know Imanol Alguacil likes me, he said it himself in our conversations. But the impression is one of uncertainty. So I went to Villarreal.”

Would you have stayed if Real had decided more quickly and tried to buy you?

There are some nuances. Some things to remember is that at Real, I started then, but they replaced me after 60-70 minutes. Okay, I had problems with my knee once and it makes sense, but it also happened when I was healthy. As a striker, you have to play at least 80 minutes to score many goals. End games are always open. Just look at my time at Villarreal. I play 90 minutes almost every game and four goals out of eight, I think, were in the last minute of the game. Villarreal made it clear that I was the first choice and would play a lot of games. They are very clear about this.

Does it seem strange to you to see Real in the Champions League? Do you feel bad about it, or do you think ‘I could have been a part of this’?

No no No! Honestly, I think it’s exciting! I have so much fun and enjoy watching them. I was a little surprised, but I knew they were good defensively, because Imanol Alguacil was really incredible at creating a defensive structure. I don’t think there is any team in Europe better than Real Sociedad in terms of defense. Offensively, you can see Take Kubo and the moves he made. Last season, he focused too much on dribbling the ball and didn’t have much finishing. Today he took another step, Brais Méndez returned to his best level and Mikel Oyarzabal returned to himself after injury. So, the offensive side of the game in the Champions League surprised me a lot, they were very good. And it’s fun to watch.

What was it like playing the Basque derby?

It’s different! It’s a derby with a friendly atmosphere. No aggression or that feeling of war, remember that I played derbies in Turkey. In Türkiye it’s absolutely crazy, you can’t compare it to anything. You cannot have visiting fans in the stadium in Türkiye. But there was a sensational atmosphere in the stadium, both in Bilbao and San Sebastián. It was sensational. It was one of the best matches I played, the match where Takefusa Kubo and I scored. It’s amazing. There is also a story behind that game: I injured my knee in a Cup match and I was afraid I would need surgery. We decided to go for injection and I didn’t train for 8 days. I trained for 15 minutes the day before the game, I started it, I scored and they replaced me a few minutes after the break. So that match was really special.