Bologna defender discusses future after Liverpool and Villa links

Sam Beukema had been dreaming about this moment his whole life.

There he was, sat in Arne Slot’s house, being told the young defender, a boyhood fan, could be a big part of the Dutchman’s revolution of his new club. All the hard work to get to this point had all been worth it. Dreams do come true.

However the head ruled the heart and Beukema begrudgingly chose AZ Alkmaar over Slot’s Feyenoord instead. It’s a move, despite where Slot has since elevated himself to, he would do all over again.

“I’ve been a Feyenoord fan since I was a kid,” the now Bologna centre-back tells i. “So when Arne Slot invited me to his house to try convince me to come to Feyenoord I was so happy. I was like ‘is this real?’

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“He had some real eye openers in terms of his philosophy on football, tactics and also me as a player. He showed me clips of how I was playing at my club Go Ahead Eagles. He said ‘you do this well, but this and this you can improve’. And I was like ‘actually, I never thought about that’. I was of course convinced.

“I didn’t say no straight away to him. I was like ‘this feels really good’. But then after I spoke with my family and agent we had to say no. That wasn’t easy, but I don’t regret it.”

Even then, it was clear Slot had something about him. Making the career-defining decision all the more gut-wrenching.

Feyenoord went onto reach the Europa Conference League final that year, losing to Jose Mourinho’s Roma, before Slot guided the Rotterdam giant to only their second Eredivisie title this century the following season.

“I could tell straight away he was a top coach,” Beukema continues. “But I chose AZ Alkmaar instead not because of him, but because of the situation at the time. Feyenoord had a tough season before Slot came and the club I went to, Alkmaar, were much more stable.

“I was captain at Go Ahead Eagles and I told him I expect my team-mates to go all in and it seemed some (Feyenoord) players back then didn’t give their all. I said ‘Mr Slot, I don’t know if I can play with these kinds of players, will this change?’

“He said ‘don’t worry about that’. I was more relaxed, he made it very clear what he was expecting from his team.”

Beukema impressed Serie A upstarts Bologna enough at Alkmaar to bring him to Italy, where the defender was part of a remarkable campaign last term, as Thiago Motta’s fledgling side secured Champions League football for this season.

That meant a reunion with the man few have said no to at Anfield earlier this month as Bologna lost 2-0 on Merseyside. Liverpool’s new head honcho had not forgotten.

“We had a little chat after the game,” Beukema continues. “He praised my performance. And then he said he was only joking when he said in his pre-match press conference that I should have come to Feyenoord and I laughed with him.”

Beukema’s incredible first season in Italy helped settle any internal debate raging in the young Dutchman’s head.

Bologna presented an ambitious plan of challenging for European places within a few years, spearheaded by sporting director Marco Di Vaio, the former Italy striker, who focused on bringing young, ambitious players to the club. Beukema fitted the bill perfectly.

Alongside the now-Arsenal defensive metronome Riccardo Calafiori, a team-mate who made Beukema “angry” due to his penchant for venturing forward from centre-back – something the pair would laugh off afterwards – Beukema helped provide the solid foundations for a truly special campaign.

“It was a magical season,” Beukema says.  “I would never have thought we could have done that in my first season in Bologna. The Piazza Maggiore (Bologna’s main square) is often full on a matchday, but the end of season celebrations were nothing like I had ever seen. It’s something that will stay with me for life.”

This season, with Calafiori and their star striker Joshua Zirkzee having both left for the Premier League, and manager Motta snapped up by Juventus, replicating last season’s heroics have of course been difficult.

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Goals have been at a premium, with Zirkzee leaving a gaping void in attack, even if Manchester United supporters are yet to be convinced.

“Josh is a good friend,” Beukema says of his compatriot. “He has all the conditions to be a top player. He has everything.

“Maybe the situation at United doesn’t help him a lot. Hopefully they will do better soon, and then he can show his qualities. He is one of the best strikers I faced and I was lucky to have him every day in training, so I was prepared well before every game.”

Joining his friend in England is not out of the question, with several clubs linked with Beukema this summer.

If he were to let the heart rule the head, which would be very out of character, his choice of club is not your typical dream destination for a football-mad kid back in the Netherlands.

“Right now I’m only thinking about Bologna,” Beukema adds. “I also have ambitions and I hope one day I can play maybe in the Premier League or another big club.

“I used to support West Ham. I visited Upton Park once with my father. I was really impressed, because the atmosphere was similar to Feyenoord or Go Ahead Eagles. But, of course, there are so many amazing teams in England, so if another nice club like Liverpool came along I’m happy to go there one day.”

Further familiarisation with the Premier League continues on Tuesday as Bologna travel to Aston Villa – an occasion not lost on the defender – even if there remains an element of wonder of what might have been, had he said yes all those years ago.

“[Slot] was really pushing,” Beukema adds. “It’s still the toughest decision I’ve made in my life. But I never regretted it because I had an amazing time in AZ and look where I am now, playing Champions League football for this great club.

“It’s like a big family here. I felt at home straight away. Bologna is a really good place. We will see what the future holds.”