New Saints stopper has lofty ambitions.
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Southampton new boy Dejan Lovren has said that he believes the club will be playing Champions League football within two years following their big spending ways, the Mirror reports.
The south coast club are the Premier League’s third biggest spenders after the £15 million they spent on Roma’s Pablo Osvaldo brought their total spend up to £36 million for the summer.
And Lovren knows what it takes to compete against the European big guns like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid after spending several years playing against them with French side Lyon.
The Croatian international, who also joined the club this summer in an £8.5 million deal, said of his new side; “Every player here thinks we can get into the Champions League within the next two years.
“It is a big job but everything is possible.
“Playing in the Champions League is an experience you can never forget and I hope to do it with Southampton.
“We can do something big this season. I want a place in the top seven or eight.”
Lovren also claimed that he rejected a move to Liverpool in favour of turning out for the St Mary’s outfit.
“Southampton is a big club, because I see everything here. I see the organisation and every deal.
“We do things like the big clubs.
“It was not an easy decision to leave Lyon but after a discussion with the chairman and the manager it was an easy decision.
“I love to be part of this project and Southampton really wanted me.
“It was important for me to know that.
“English fans love football, they have passion – it is not the same in France. It really is something special here.”