'He politely declined' - £50m La Liga star rejected Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham offers as father speaks out

The Premier League has never been more competitive with clubs that traditionally shopped on a budget now having access to databases that levels the playing field in terms of recruitment.

The wages on offer in England’s top flight also gives unfashionable teams, or those who aren’t even in Europe, the chance to sign some of the continent’s hottest prospects or the next wonderkid from South America.

There is also still a natural hierarchy though with the traditional big six clubs still regularly shopping on their own doorstep if players prove that they can compete in the Premier League. They might have to pay more money, but they reduce the risk in terms of the more difficult to assess personal qualities like whether or not they can adapt to a new country and style of play.

Who Dean Huijsen knocked back to join Real Madrid

One such player who had already proven himself in a tough league before moving to England as a teenager was Dean Huijsen who, despite coming through the academy at Juventus and enjoying a successful loan spell at Roma, found himself on the south coast at Bournemouth.

At around £15m, the Spain international wasn’t exactly an unknown quantity before arriving at the Vitality Stadium even if it never felt like the 20-year old would be staying there for long.

Huijsen didn’t just adapt to the Premier League, he strolled it, playing a key role in Bournemouth’s European place challenge and attracting interest from some serious heavyweights, as revealed by his dad to TuttoSport: “A significant development path was in the offing for Dean, who actually played 32 games with 3 goals and 2 assists for the Cherries shirt. He also played 3 more FA Cup matches, totalling 2,800 minutes on the pitch. These excellent performances earned him a contract with the most famous and successful club on the planet.

“Many of the big names in European football wanted him. Chelsea, Liverpool, Bayern, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Tottenham, Newcastle United etc - but he politely declined every offer, waiting for ‘that’ team to arrive. The ‘team’ of his dreams, the biggest and most fascinating: Real Madrid.”

When Huijsen should have been targeted as clubs miss out on bargain

Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham, who were in talks with the young centre-half, would all have been strengthened by having Huijsen in their respective defences with the 6ft 5inch tall stopper becoming an immediate success at Real Madrid after completing a £50m move.

With decent pace, a midfielder’s ability in possession and a towering presence in the air, Huijsen has all the attributes needed to become one of the best in the world, if he isn’t already on that path.

Not many players turn down the Spanish giants, however, had the big London clubs got their noses in first and signed Huijsen from Juventus, it might have been a different story.

The surprising aspect of the story is that all three clubs have a recent history of identify talent exactly like the giant Spaniard with Mikel Arteta in particular likely to be hugely frustrated at missing out on a compatriot. Their pockets might be deep, but this doesn’t mean their recruitment teams shouldn’t still be on the lookout for bargains.