Thomas Meunier has admitted he “could have gone to Tottenham Hotspur” before swapping Paris Saint-Germain for Borussia Dortmund in summer 2020, speaking to Sky Sports’ Bundesliga Highlights show.
It’s no coincidence the Belgium international has produced his best football in that iconic yellow-and-black kit since one of world football’s most passionate fanbases returned to their rightful place at Signal Iduna Park.
Meunier endured a miserable first season on the banks of the Rhine but has already produced more assists this term (three in four games) than he managed in the entire 2020/21 (two in 33).
And, after setting up an Erling Haaland header during a typically topsy-turvy 4-2 victory over Union Berlin at the weekend, the 30-year-old admitted the chance to play in front of the fabled ‘yellow wall’ had him convinced Dortmund was the place to be.
Is former Tottenham target Thomas Meunier finally coming alive at Borussia Dortmund?
“I’m someone living for the passion and the football. I needed supporters. I needed to feel this vibe, this atmosphere, this football culture,” says Meunier, who left PSG when his contract expired.
“This is why I’m at Dortmund. I could have gone to Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Tottenham – but Dortmund is made for football and that’s what I wanted to have.”
According to L’Equipe, then-Spurs boss Jose Mourinho held talks with Meunier last year in an attempt to lure the experienced right-back to north London.
However, it’s understood chairman Daniel Levy wasn’t enamoured by the prospect of signing a 29-year-old with little resale value and, by that point, Meunier had his sights firmly fixed on Dortmund anyway.
Tottenham supporters would have to wait another 12 months to see a right-back arrive, although Emerson Royal has endured a far from ideal start to his Premier League career with successive 3-0 defeats to Crystal Palace and Chelsea.
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