Newcastle United

Newcastle United

Premier League • England

Newcastle discover key reason Diego Carlos move failed as Sevilla chief opens up on Aston Villa man

New Aston Villa signing Diego Carlos

Newcastle have found out why their January move for Diego Carlos was unsuccessful, after the centre-back’s switch to Aston Villa.

The Magpies were hoping to sign Carlos from Sevilla in the winter transfer window. Alongside Sven Botman, he was one of Newcastle’s top targets to improve Eddie Howe’s options in central defence.

But Sevilla held off any Newcastle approaches and kept the 29-year-old on their books for the remainder of the campaign.

A summer transfer then came into sight, but one to St James’ Park didn’t materialise. Villa announced the signing of Carlos on June 1, with the Brazil international penning a four-year deal in the West Midlands.

Reports claim he cost Villa £26million. The star will mainly compete with Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Calum Chambers for a spot in the starting eleven.

Reacting to the move, Carlos said: “I am really happy because the Premier League is one of the best competitions.

“I always want to do the best for the club and the shirt I’m wearing.”

“Even now I can’t believe I’m here because it’s a dream to compete in the Premier League. And now I have a very clear opportunity, I hope to give it 100% my best, and to be able to play to the best of my ability.”

Sevilla chief explains Diego Carlos decision

Now, Sevilla director Jose Maria Cruz de Andres has explained why Carlos ended up at Villa instead of Newcastle.

During an interview with Sport Witness, the chief was asked if Sevilla sold the player to balance the books. He replied: “No, the real reason is we received a good offer in the winter market from Newcastle for Diego.

“At that time, the player and the agent were very interested in the offer because it was a very good offer for them in terms of time of employment and salary for the player, and commission for the agent.

“We received a good offer from Newcastle, from a financial standpoint. But the problem was it was in the middle of the season and Carlos was very, very important at that time for us. We had no chance to replace Carlos [in January]. We had been suffering a lot during the season with many injuries, especially defenders.

“At the time, we were competing to win the league and had a chance to win the Europa League again, after being eliminated from the Champions League. The main reason to not accept the [Newcastle’s] offer was that it was not at the proper time.

“At the end of the season, we received a new offer from a different team. It was probably better than the first one for the player.

Director hints Carlos was hunting for pay rise

“He told us that we said it was not possible to sell him in the winter market, but we didn’t promise to sell him in the summer. We told them that when the season finishes, we will surely analyse offers. There was an offer and this is the reason for selling Diego Carlos, because we didn’t need to sell Carlos to balance the books.

“We wanted to keep Diego Carlos with us. But we understand that a player like Diego, 29, 30 years, it was a very good opportunity. Probably not sporting wise, but in terms of money. We respect that because we understand that Diego has played very well for us.”

Carlos is a great signing for Steven Gerrard’s side. He has experience both on the international stage and in the Champions League, so they are getting a top player.

It is the perfect addition Villa need as they eye a return to the top 10 in the next few seasons.

Newcastle, in contrast, have been pursuing Botman ever since Carlos went elsewhere. But according to The Telegraph, the Magpies could end their interest in the Dutchman.