Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s Rubin Kazan teammates ribbed the £20 million-rated winger about rumours linking him with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, defender Georgi Zotov has told Championat.
Zotov may be “100 per cent” convinced the Georgia international will leave the Kazan Arena sooner rather than later but, for now, Kvaratskhelia is staying put.
The swashbuckling left-winger admitted in July he had held talks with Leeds United, while his agent claimed Everton, Brighton and Hove Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham had expressed interest too – much to the bemusement of many in the Rubin dressing room (Sportall).
Could Kvaratskhelia leave Rubin Kazan for Tottenham in January?
“They constantly write that Tottenham, Juventus and more are interested in him. It cannot be just a crush,” Zotov says of a man who has been compared to Frank Ribery and Arjen Robben thanks to his sparkling wing play.
“It was not super noticeable that someone was going to leave. All the professionals did their job to the end. They trained and played at 100 per cent.
“There were jokes about Khvicha when they wrote something new about him every day. ‘You will soon play with Kane,’ something like that.
“Personally, I am glad such a strong player remains in the team. Naturally, he himself would like to try his hand in Europe. But if he continues to play at the same level, the top clubs will not move away from him.
“This is an inevitable story. He will be taken away, 100 per cent.”
How much do you trust a football agent? One who is obviously trying to drum up interest in his client?
Speaking last week, Rubin Kazan director Rustem Saimanov claimed the club had received “no offer from Tottenham”.
That doesn’t mean Spurs weren’t keen on Kvaratskhelia, of course, just that they opted not to firm up their interest.
If the former Dinamo Tbilisi man can find some form between now and January, however, expect his consonant-heavy name to return to the gossip columns before long.
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