Aitor Karanka has revealed Birmingham City saw off interest from Spain to land Ivan Sanchez over the summer, as per a report by Birmingham Live.
The Blues signed the winger on a free transfer after his contract at Elche expired.
Sanchez, who is 28 years old, had options to stay in Spain after winning promotion to La Liga last season. However, he opted to move to the Championship on a three-year deal, with the option for a further year.
He made his debut for the Midlands club on the opening day of the season against Brentford and will play a key part for them this term.
Karanka has given an insight into sides’ pursuit of him, as per Birmingham Live: “There was a lot of competition for his signature, especially in Spain. He got promotion with Elche and was one of the best, if not the best player in that squad and you know when you are finishing your contract and have a promotion and are quality – he had a few options.
“But when the club spoke with him he had it really clear he wanted to join us. Which once again I have said this is really important that players want to join us.”
Sanchez had spells with the likes of Atletico Madrid B, Almeria and Albacete before joining Elche in 2017. He went onto play 120 times for them, scoring 11 goals.
He is now hoping to help Birmingham have a good season under Karanka and they face Sheffield Wednesday after the international break.
In other Blues news, their former striker Cameron Jerome is set to join MK Dons, as covered by The72.
