Sidnei Tavares has joined Blackburn Rovers. (Image: Blackburn Rovers)
Sidnei Tavares has joined Blackburn Rovers. (Image: Blackburn Rovers)
Sidnei Tavares' goal is to lead Blackburn Rovers to The Premier League after returning to England with a point to prove.
The 23-year-old midfielder became Rovers' second summer signing last week, penning a deal until 2028 at Ewood Park. Valerien Ismael's side have shelled a seven-figure fee to bring him to the club.
Tavares was aware of interest for several months and once that materialised as a concrete option, he felt it was the right time to return to England.
At 23, he feels his best years are in front of him and he can realise his potential at Ewood Park. He made no secret that his burning ambition is to return to the top flight with Rovers.
"I felt like it was the right step for me in my career. I felt like Blackburn would give me what I wanted to achieve with my goals," Sidnei told RoversTV.
"I feel it's a great league, it's a great club, a lot of history, so I thought it would be the right team for me for sure.
"I'm 23 now, and I just thought it was the right step for me, because I believe in myself and Blackburn believe in me as well. I felt like it was the perfect match together.
"Everyone wants to feel wanted, and feeling wanted by Blackburn was a special feeling for sure. That's what made me think this is the right place for me and this is where I want to go
"There has been interest over the last few months but I tend to focus on the team I was on before, but when it got serious, that's when I was really excited. My agent obviously got it done, and I'm really happy about it.
"When I spoke to Blackburn the first time, the object was, we want you to help, we want you to get back to the Premier League. That's my main goal, is just to get Blackburn in the Premier League and stay there."
Tavares came from the Youth system at Leicester City and was one of the most highly-rated Academy talents, alongside Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. He moved to Porto five years ago and has also played in Major League Soccer with Colorado Rapids.
As a well-travelled young man, Tavares felt he would always return to England due to unfinished business. He feels he has a point to prove on these shores and aims to do that next term.
"I've got something to prove in England, so I'd say I always wanted to come to England again," he explained.
"This was the right time to come, Blackburn's the right club, and I just felt like there was a lot for me to prove still. This is the perfect time for it.
"I want to prove everyone wrong, everyone has their own opinions, but at the end of the day, what matters is mine. I just want to show everyone that they're wrong, and I just want to do the best for me and the club.
"I've always got many goals, but my main goal is, as I said, Blackburn in the Premier League. Obviously, after that, it comes with me as an individual scoring goals, making 40 appearances, but my main focus is to get Blackburn in the Premier League."
Tavares arrives just in time to start pre-season with his new team-mates. Rovers return to Brockhall Senior Training Centre on Monday.
"I'm really looking forward to pre-season, obviously it's tough, but we need this and it's going to benefit us for the rest of the season, and we just have to work hard," he said.
"It's perfect timing, obviously, I'll be in from day one, so I can adapt to the new people, the new culture, and get a liking for what the team's like. I think it's very important to be here from day one."