Photo by ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
Freddy Adu may not yet officially be a player of Brazilian club Bahia, but that did not stop him from talking about the potential move and how good a fit he thinks it could be for him when he arrived to the South American country on Thursday.
Adu turned up in Salvador, Brazil ahead of his meeting with Bahia’s team officials and tour of the club. The 23-year-old midfielder was able to talk briefly to Brazilian media about the impending transfer from the Philadelphia Union that will see him and Brazilian midfielder Kleberson swap teams, saying the Brazilian Serie A was an ideal location for him to land in.
“The way I play, I never thought of myself as playing as a quote unquote an American style,” Adu told Brazilian media. “I always based my game on the Brazilian style because I love that. I love being able to express yourself and here you’re allowed to express yourself, you’re allowed to play, you’re allowed to enjoy football so this, I think would fit my style really well.”
Adu was also adamant in expressing that the deal was not yet done. The well-traveled midfielder admitted that he would like the move to be finalized so he could get back to playing soccer, but also said he was taking a tour of the club and becoming familiar with the facilities and staff to ensure that Bahia was the right fit for him.
“It has to be the right situation,” said Adu. “For me personally, I’ve been in teams where I’ve been used in different positions that I’m not used to. This has to be the right situation for me and for Bahia and I just wanted to get a feel for the place before anything gets done.
“It’s important for me, because I’ve never done that before, signing with other teams. This is the first time I’m actually visiting to get a feel for the place, to check out the team, to meet the staff, so this was important for me to do.”
Adu even shared with reporters which Brazilian players he enjoyed watching as a kid – Ronaldo and Ronaldinho were among them – as well as some of his recently-gained knowledge about the club that might soon be his new home.
“I know Bahia is two-time Brazilian champions and I know the fans,” said Adu. “I did my research. I’m pretty familiar with the team. Now I’m here to check out the city, meet the staff, meet the team and hopefully everything goes well and we’re able to get something done as soon as possible.”