Cristian Ramirez was linked with a move to the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur but is now thriving in the Russian Premier League.
Krasnodar left-back Cristian Ramirez has confirmed to AS that he missed out on a move to Tottenham Hotspur.
An Ecuadorian international who has been compared to Brazil legend Roberto Carlos thanks to his swashbuckling style, Ramirez has been hugely impressive for a Krasnodar side who are hoping to win the Russian Premier League title for the first time in their history this season.
The 24-year-old has been playing for Krasnodar since 2017 after spells in Germany and Hungary. But things could have been very different if he had been allowed to join Spurs and try his hand in English football.
“With Tottenham I could not sign because at that time I still had not played the necessary matches with my team,” Ramirez told AS, claiming that he also missed out on a move to Borussia Dortmund.
The 18-time international seems happy enough in Russia, however, with Krasnodar making waves in northern Europe just 11 years after the club was founded.
“I’ve been here for two years and everything around the club changes very fast,” he added. “It’s all very familiar, the support is tremendous, the city is growing. Krasnodar will change the history of football in Russia.”
Whether Ramirez will ever be given his chance in the Premier League remains to be seen. The Chronicle reported in 2017 that the attack-minded left-sider had been offered to Newcastle United but it seems that the Magpies did not take up their chance.
Maybe they should have done, with the left-back position still something of a problem for Rafa Benitez.
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