'I lost about three kilos!' - David Hancko explains 'strange' breakdown in Al-Nassr transfer and how he sealed Atletico Madrid transfer from Feyenoord

Hancko has revealed his turbulent summer transfer saga was so stressful he "lost about three kilos" in a week, after a "strange" breakdown in his agreed move to Al-Nassr allowed his dream switch to La Liga to materialise. Speaking in an interview with Flashscore, the Slovakian centre-back explained that after reluctantly accepting a move to Saudi Arabia, suspicious delays from Al-Nassr's side opened the door for Atletico to complete a deal in just a day and a half.

Hancko had agreed to join Al-Nassr after the Saudi Pro League club reached an agreement with Feyenoord, while his preferred move to Atletico appeared to be off the table. However, after finalising terms, the deal began to stall with "more excuses" coming from the Saudi side. This prompted Hancko's agent to alert Atletico's sporting director to the situation. The Spanish club reacted immediately, swiftly agreeing a fee with Feyenoord to hijack the transfer and finally land a player they had been pursuing for over a year.

Speaking on the breakdowns and negotiations, Hancko revealed: "Everything was already agreed between the clubs and with us. I joined the team at a training camp, and then things started to drag on. It felt strange; they were communicating with my agent and didn’t want me to come personally. That’s when I sensed things weren’t moving in the right direction. More excuses came from their side.

"My agent had built a good relationship with Atletico’s sporting director. We let them know the situation, that things weren’t progressing smoothly and that if Atletico worked out a deal with Feyenoord, we were ready to fly immediately. That sparked a reaction with them and it was all sorted within a day and a half.

"They really wanted to sign me and did everything we’d hoped they would - last year, in winter, or this summer. In the end, they managed it within a day and a half. I always felt I wanted to stay in Europe, and I believe fate played a role, that it was meant to happen this way.

"Even though the whole week wasn’t easy, I lost about three kilos because I slept little and spent most of the time in the hotel lobby, just sitting, waiting, and trying to keep everything in perspective. My wife Kristýnka was a huge support, helping me through it, and I kept reminding myself that in the end, it’s “just” football, even though it affected family life by deciding where and how we’d live."

Having secured his dream move on a five-year contract, Hancko is now focused on adapting to his new surroundings and fighting for a place in Diego Simeone's starting line-up. The 26-year-old stated that he sees his time at the club as a "marathon" and is prepared to be patient for his opportunity. His immediate priorities are settling his family, learning Spanish, and working to repay the club's faith by establishing himself as a key player in Madrid.