Lecce president Sticchi Damiani has explained why his outfit cash in on Danish-Nigerian wing-back Patrick Dorgu in the recently concluded transfer window.
Dorgu joined the Premier League club for a fee rising to €38m on deadline day, becoming Lecce’s record sale.
Explaining Dorgu’s transfer, Damiani said, “We said several times that Dorgu would not leave in January, and now I will explain why the opposite happened. Then Manchester United arrived, who made themselves heard with us and with the boy’s entourage, receiving an official response from us that I leave here, in which we said that we had no intention of letting Dorgu leave in January. And not talking about figures, not asking for increases. This, instead of stopping United, had the opposite effect. Manchester insisted, we asked several times to postpone everything until the summer, also promising the young man that he would not miss the opportunity.
“For us too it was a historic step, we just wanted to do it in July. The English communicated to us their desire, the club and its coach, to be immediate. There was an ultimatum, now or never, also giving this message to the player himself. You cannot judge Dorgu, you are 20 years old and Manchester United comes to you with an offer like that. The combination of these factors led us to think that we would have gone from being consistent to being stupidly obstinate.”
The talented player made 21 appearances in the Serie A, scoring three goals and providing one assists across the period.
In all competitions, Dorgu made 23 appearances, racking up three goals and providing an assist.
Meanwhile, the enterprising winger has made four appearances for the Danish national team, scoring one goal since making his debut in September 2024.
