Tyrhys Dolan has denied he’s moved from Blackburn Rovers to Espanyol because of Burnley owner Alan Pace’s takeover at the Spanish club.
[Mundo Deportivo](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/) cover comments from the 23-year-old today after he joined Espanyol on a free transfer earlier this summer.
Dolan had been at Blackburn since 2020, making 210 appearances for the club following his arrival on a free transfer from Preston North End.
His contract at Ewood Park came to an end this summer and he’s decided to move on, signing for Espanyol on a free transfer.
That’s the first move abroad for him in his career, which has previously seen him play for Manchester City’s youth since, Preston’s academy, Clitheroe and then Blackburn. There has been a small assumption that the deal had been done thanks to Alan Pace’s takeover at Espanyol this summer.
The Burnley owner’s group, ALK Capital, have agreed a takeover of the Spanish club and are already in the process of changing things up, particularly in the transfer window. He was recently seen at a recent friendly with the takeover in the final stages.
The Burnley owner will be well aware of a Championship regular like Dolan, but he insists that has nothing to do with his move from Blackburn.
_“I’m very happy to be here,”_ he said.
_“It’s true that it’s a higher league and that Spanish football is different from English football, but I’m always going to believe in myself. If I do things well, why wouldn’t I do the same here?”_
Specifically on Burnley, with many in Spain now believing Espanyol can attract players with the Premier League carrot, he said: _“The talks started before (the takeover.) It was Espanyol who were interested in me; I wasn’t aware of this (Burnley connection).”_