Patrick Lefevere made himself heard again Derailleur. The former team boss of Soudal Quick-Step gave text and explanation about his transfer policy in the past, with striking passages about Tim Merlier and Wout van Aert.
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Merlier “For a price”
Lefevere saw potential in Merlier early. “I have known him for a long time. At a certain moment he drove a black sweater without a team. That was because he wanted to take his brother with him. Then the Roodhooft brothers captured him at Alpecin-DEUNINCK for a prize. You can’t blame them.”
According to Lefevere, Merlier later came to Quick-Step. “He regretted that he had signed for so little. But I said:” Tim, I am no longer fighting for riders. I did that once for Frank Vandenbroucke, and I will never do that again. “
Why not Aert?
That attitude also explains why Lefevere never made concrete work by Wout van Aert. “It is one of the reasons why I didn’t make him a proposal,” he explains. Van Aert then switched from Nick Nuyens’ team to the team that today Visma | Lease a bike is called.
At Merlier, Lefevere did hold the door ajar. “I said,” Buy your contract and you’re mine. ” But he never dared.
Even more possible with stronger train
According to Lefevere, Merlier is also largely on his own. “He mainly has Bert van Lerberghe as a lead-out, someone in whom he has a lot of confidence. But look at Lidl-Trek, where they always set a whole train. Give Merlier the lead-out of Jonathan Milan and he wins much more.”
