LaLiga wonderkid CONFIRMS Arsenal and Chelsea talks

Ukraine youth international Vladyslav Krapyvtsov has revealed that he could have joined Arsenal or Chelsea before signing for Girona in January 2025.

The 20-year-old surprisingly began the season between the sticks at Girona due to first-choice goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga receiving a red card in the opening game of the campaign against Rayo Vallecano.

Krapyvtsov came on as a substitute and then started the next game against Champions League participants Villarreal. Truth be told, it hasn’t been a great start to life in Spain for the Ukrainian youngster.

The 20-year-old already made two appearances last season, totalling four games since joining in January, in which he has conceded a whopping 13 goals. Nevertheless, Krapyvtsov has always been highly rated.

He is currently unavailable to Girona as he is in Chile for the U20 World Cup with Ukraine, and he has now revealed that he could have moved to the Premier League before heading to Spain.

Krapyvtsov: I could have joined Arsenal or Chelsea

Speaking to Tribuna, Krapyvtsov revealed that he held talks with Arsenal and Chelsea last winter. However, a move to England did not work out due to problems with securing a UK work permit, prompting his agent Vadym Shablii to engineer a move to Girona.

“I could have been at Arsenal or Chelsea, but at the last moment, there were problems with the documents,” the young goalkeeper said. “These are the nuances of the Premier League regulations.

“Chelsea couldn’t get another additional spot in the application for me. My agent called and told me how it was. Of course, at first, I was unsure about what to do next, but I told Vadym that I trusted him completely and that I was calm.

“And that’s how I ended up at Girona. If it weren’t for my agent, I wouldn’t be where I am now. So, he did a great job, and I am very grateful to him.” Shablii is in charge of Prostar and represents many of Ukraine’s most high-profile players.

Securing Krapyvtsov’s move to Girona was probably not too difficult as the LaLiga outfit have signed plenty of Ukrainians in recent years. Artem Dovbyk played for the Catalans before moving to Roma, Viktor Tsygankov is still there, and Shablii’s client Vladyslav Vanat joined in the summer.

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