Rav van den Berg now reveals he snubbed three European giants to join Middlesbrough

This Middlesbrough summer signing could’ve gone elsewhere, with Roma, AC Milan, and Borussia Dortmund among his suitors.

Middlesbrough signed a horde of new players last summer. Some have gone on to become key players whilst others have evidently struggled to adapt to the rigours of the Championship.

One player who’s shown a lot of promise though is Rav van den Berg; the 19-year-old joined from PEC Zwolle last summer and has since made 21 Championship outings for Boro.

Although there are a few kinks to iron out, van den Berg is clearly a player with potential, and Middlesbrough seemingly did well to sign him with the Dutchman apparently having interest from all of Roma, AC Milan, and Dortmund last summer.

Rav van den Berg ‘made the right decision’ in joining Middlesbrough
The Northern Echo have revealed that van den Berg was made aware of interest from Italian duo Roma and Milan, and Borussia Dortmund last summer, with van de Berg going on to say:

“I had other options in the summer. But I definitely think I made the right decision.”

He added:

“This has been a really good move for me. It’s been an amazing experience so far. I came to the club to play matches regularly, that’s the main reason I came here. You never really know how things are going to go – it is a new country, and a new team – so I didn’t really know what was going to happen. But I feel like it is working out really well. I’ve enjoyed every moment I’ve been here, and I think it’s been really good for me.”

Game-time offer is still a huge pull for Championship clubs
In van den Berg’s situation last summer, many would’ve jumped at the chance to join a team like Roma, Milan, or Dortmund.

But few might have had the foresight to snub those teams, for the time being, and join a team where game time is more readily-available.

Van den Berg made that decision and he’s now being exposed to first-team football, whilst also becoming a better player with each passing game and learning things he might not have learned at a top European club.

He could well seal that big move one day. But for now he’s prevailing at the Riverside and trying to help his side get back into the top six after a patchy season so far.

Michael Carrick‘s side sit in 12th place of the table after a 1-1 draw with Sunderland last weekend, and next host Bristol City in the Championship this weekend.