Sepp van den Berg details key reason behind rejecting Blackburn Rovers and Burnley | OneFootball

Schalke centre-back Sepp van den Berg has revealed his reluctance to play Championship football again is one of the main reasons why he chose to make a temporary switch to Germany, speaking to ELF Voetbal.

The Dutchman was temporarily surplus to requirements once more at Anfield, with Jurgen Klopp previously preparing to send him out on another loan spell following his previous two with Preston North End.

However, a return to Deepdale looked unlikely with the defender casting doubt on a third temporary spell at the club, even though he had become an important figure for the Lilywhites during his time there.

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But another season in the English second tier looked to be in reach, with Burnley previously looking as though they were going to win the race for his signature.

The Clarets had been in desperate need of more central defenders following the departures of James Tarkowski, Ben Mee and Nathan Collins – but failed to complete a deal for the 20-year-old and managed to recruit Jordan Beyer instead.

Another option to return to Lancashire popped up during the final days of the window when it was revealed that Blackburn Rovers were set to win the race for his signature – but they missed out with Bundesliga side Schalke swooping in and this step up to the top tier paid dividends for his current loan club as they beat others to his signature.

Speaking to EFL Voetbal (via Inside Futbol), he said: “Another year Championship was not my preference. I spoke with Burnley, but I still wanted a step higher. The Bundesliga was my preference.”

The Verdict:

You can’t blame the Dutchman for making the step up because it would have felt as though he hadn’t progressed if he’d remained in the English second tier following two loan spells at Deepdale.

At 20, he needs to be competing at the top tier sooner rather than later and this is why he will be delighted to have been a regular for his current loan side thus far.

The defender will need to keep his spot in the starting 11 if his spell in Germany is to be a success though – and that’s why he needs to ensure his performance level is consistently good throughout this season.

From there, he can stake his claim to be part of Klopp’s first team at Anfield, though you feel he would probably benefit from a permanent move next summer considering the existing options they have at their disposal.

From Burnley and Blackburn’s perspective, they will have been glad to find alternatives to the 20-year-old and this is why they won’t be ruing missing out on him too much despite previously having him as a top target.