Not for the first time in his career, Andrè Schembri left it late before deciding on his club future in the summer but his move to sign for Omonia Nicosia is now paying dividends.

I was disappointed to miss out on a move to the Serie A and a prestigious club like Sampdoria but I’ve put that upset behind me

After joining the Cypriot club towards the end of August, Schem-bri faced an uphill struggle to become a first-team regular but the Malta forward’s hard work and perseverance are being rewarded as he is fast establishing himself as a key player for Omonia, scoring three goals so far.

Speaking to The Times from Cyprus, Schembri revealed that he decided to bide his time during the summer as he was hopeful of securing a move to Italian Serie A club Sampdoria.

“It took me a while to join a new club last summer because I was waiting for a reply from an Italian club,” Schembri said.

“During this period, I turned down two offers from German second division teams and one from Japan but I took a chance because the club that had shown an interest in me were Sampdoria.

“Their scouts came to watch me when I was playing for Panionios in Greece and I left a positive impression.

“They told my agent that if Sampdoria remained in Serie B, they would sign me but if they won promotion (at the end of last season), things could change, also depending on the coaching situation.”

Sampdoria did win promotion to the Serie A under Beppe Iachini who was replaced by former Italy U-21 coach Ciro Ferrara in July.

The Genova-based outfit were not the only Italian club who monitored Schembri last term.

“Verona were also interested,” Schembri said.

“Their sporting director, who I met in Greece, was keen to sign me but he didn’t renew his contract with the Serie B club in summer.

“He offered me the opportunity to join him at Como, his new club, but I wasn’t really keen to play in the Serie C1 league.

“After some time, the team manager of Omonia Nicosia, who was the assistant coach of Panio-nios, called me and I signed a two-year contract.”

Schembri is pleased with his progress at Omonia after coming through a difficult start.

“I missed pre-season,” Schembri said.

“I was Omonia’s last signing but I feel I’ve settled nicely and my fitness level is improving.

“It’s not easy to play regularly for Omonia because competition for places is tough. It says everything about the quality of our squad that we have three former Benfica players.

“There are some Portuguese and Brazilian players as well.

“Looking back, I admit I was disappointed to miss out on a move to the Serie A and a pres-tigious club like Sampdoria but I’ve put that upset behind me.

“Omonia are the biggest club in the league. With regards to Cyprus, it’s similar to Malta and Greece and I didn’t find it difficult to adapt, really.”

Although Schembri is enjoying his football in Cyprus, he believes that, despite the financial pro-blems, the Greek league is more attractive.

“Greek football has been hit hard by the economic crisis,” Schembri said.

“Many foreign players have left the country but in my mind, the Greek league is more attractive compared to Cyprus because there are still some top, big teams like Olympiakos, Panathinaikos and AEK Athens.

“That said, there are also some strong teams here, like Anorthosis, Omonia and Apoel.”

Trophy target

After slipping 13 points behind leaders Anorthosis, Omonia, who travel to AEK Larnaca on Sunday, are effectively out of the title race but Schembri insisted that they are determined to win some silver-ware this season.

“The club’s aim was to challenge for the league but, after a dismal start, we fell well behind Anor-thosis,” Schembri said.

“Our objective is still to win a trophy and we intend to do our utmost to go all the way in the cup and qualify for Europe.”

Schembri sees a lot of similari-ties between the fans of Omonia and those of Ferencvaros where the 26-year-old enjoyed a successful spell a few years back.

“Omonia supporters are like those of Ferencvaros,” Schembri observed.

“They are very passionate about the team and the stadium is full for the big games.

“Obviously, there’s also a lot of pressure on us to live up to the fans’ expectations.”

Regarded as one of Malta’s most gifted players since breaking into the first team at Hibs as a teenager, Schembri has featured regularly for the national team, making 46 appearances so far.

His performances for Omonia have raised hopes that Schembri will also rediscover his best for the national team in the upcoming 2014 World Cup qualifiers, starting with the trip to Bulgaria on March 22 and the home clash with Italy four days later.

“The national team is different from club football,” Schembri said.

“Most of the time, we’re chasing possession in international games.

“Although I’ve been playing quite regularly for the national team, I don’t take my place in the side for granted. I know I have to play well to be in the team.

“In the last few years, my per-formances for the national team have dropped a bit but I’m determined to return to the levels I enjoyed when Dusan Fitzel was in charge.”