Davidson weighing European offers after West Brom exit

Australia defender Jason Davidson is mulling over four offers from European clubs as he ponders his next career move after parting company with West Bromwich Albion at the end of the Premier League season.

Socceroos Jason Davidson defender Jason Davidson is weighting several offers from club in Europe (Getty)

Socceroos Jason Davidson defender Jason Davidson is weighting several offers from club in Europe (Getty) Source: Getty Images

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Davidson, who joins Australia in camp in Dubai next Monday ahead of the FIFA World Cup qualifier with Kyrgyzstan on 17 June (AEST) in Bishkek, will base his final decision on the amount of game time he is likely to garner after being barely used at the Hawthorns.

"There are four clubs in Europe that I am in negotiations with and the most important thing is not to rush into anything and make sure I make the right decision because I want to be playing next season," he told The World Game.

"That wasn't the case at West Brom and it's crucial that the next decision I make is the correct one for my career.

"Fortunately, even though I haven’t played at club level, I’ve had a solid year with the national team and that’s what has kept me in the hunt.

“A lot of clubs have shown interest after seeing me play at the Asian Cup and also against Germany (in March).

"I am sure I will find the right club and can have a fantastic season.”

Davidson, 23, made only five appearances in all competitions during his one-year stint with the Baggies but has no recriminations with coach Tony Pulis after negotiating his release with a season of his contract still to run.

"For me, it was great to have a taste of what the Premier League is all about," he added. "In football sometimes you have to take a step back to go three steps forward.

"Tony Pulis has his style of play and it works. I was totally professional during my time there. I worked hard and I think I left on a great note with him.

"Sometimes coaches love you and sometimes you don't fit their style and you have to respect that and we mutually agreed to move on.

"I think West Brom respected me as a person and as a player and to not waste my time they allowed me the opportunity to see where I go for next season.
“I wasn’t playing and I wasn’t happy and West Brom wanted to bolster their squad for next season, so it was a win-win for both parties and we parted ways very respectfully.

"The most important thing for me is to be happy and to play week-in week-out again. I need to make sure this is a big year for me."

Davidson said the journey Kyrgyzstan to face the 135th-ranked nation was a clash not to be taken lightly.

“Playing on home soil is one thing but to go to these types of countries, a lot of different factors come into play,” he said.

“They really have nothing to lose and are the so-called underdogs ... we need to go there and perform and get the points.

“A lot of our players have never really experienced these types of situations. We did go to the World Cup last year but we weren’t really involved in the qualifiers and this is a new experience in our careers.

“Knowing Ange … he doesn’t let anybody get complacent and that certainly won’t be the case.

“They will make it as hard as possible for us and will probably sit behind the ball and try not to give anything away. It’s about us making sure we can break them down.”

Davidson is back in Melbourne with his family to celebrate the 55th birthday of his father, Socceroos great Alan, and to prepare for Australia’s first steps on the road to Russia 2018.
"The most important thing this week is to have quality time with my family, recharge, freshen my mind up and clear out what happened this season and make sure I go into camp with the national team in the best of shape," he said.

"I have a personal trainer helping to make sure I am fully fit for the Socceroos, and from there I need to concentrate on pre-season because unfortunately last year I missed a lot of that and it was setback for me (at West Brom).

"I need to make sure my body is fine and I am ready to go."

 

 

 


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4 min read
Published 1 June 2015 6:00pm
Updated 1 June 2015 8:13pm
By David Lewis
Source: SBS

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