Dad of 33-year-old who snubbed Spurs admits his son is an Arsenal fan, Gunners almost signed him

Follow us on Google Discover

Thierry Witsel – the father of Tottenham target Axel Witsel – has been speaking about his son’s love of Arsenal.

Tottenham target is a fan of Arsenal

Over the summer, Tottenham were interested in signing the 33-year-old on a free transfer, according to German news outlet Der Westen.

Witsel even admitted that he came close to joining Spurs before rejecting them in favour of Atlético Madrid.

Now, Witsel’s father has provided a big hint as to why that choice was made – he supports Arsenal.

Speaking to Het Belang van Limburg, Thierry Witsel said: “Juventus failed in the last hours of a transfer market, but when he was still playing for Standard, Arsenal knocked on the door. That was his favourite team, but it didn’t come to a deal.”

As you can see, Witsel’s father interestingly reveals that the Gunners almost signed his son during his days at Standard Liege, before he eventually moved to Benfica in 2011.

The Belgium international has since gone on to have an outstanding career despite never featuring for his beloved Arsenal, winning 126 caps for Belgium while making 627 appearances for a number of European giants.

Tottenham didn’t need Arsenal supporting Witsel

In our view, we aren’t quite sure why Tottenham actually pursued a deal for Witsel given the midfield options at Antonio Conte’s disposal.

Spurs already have Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the middle of the park, while Yves Bissouma – a £25m signing from Brighton – can’t even get into the starting XI right now.

The precocious Pape Matar Sarr is also in Tottenham’s ranks, but is struggling for first-team football.

Therefore, we aren’t quite sure why Tottenham tried to sign Witsel, especially as his career is beginning to come to a close.

If Paratici is to sign another midfielder, it must be someone younger who represents a solid, long-term investment for the north Londoners.