Troy Deeney has confirmed to the Evening Standard that he spoke with Tottenham Hotspur over a potential transfer from Watford under Jose Mourinho during the summer of 2020.
Spurs explored a deal for the experienced centre-forward following the Hornets’ relegation to the Championship. Deeney had scored 10 goals and provided two assists over 27 games during the 2019/20 campaign at Vicarage Road.
Tottenham targeted Deeney to bolster Mourinho’s striker options after relying heavily on Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son. Only the England (18 goals) and South Korea (11) forwards scored double figures for Spurs in the top-flight in 19/20.
Deeney was unsure of his future with Watford at the time of Tottenham’s interest in a possible transfer last year. Sky Sports reported last September that Spurs were monitoring the long-serving Hornets captain, but ultimately loaned Carlos Vinicius instead.
Deeney has now confirmed that “there was a conversation on the phone” with Tottenham before staying at Watford. He enjoyed a solid run of goals in the Championship with seven in 18 appearances before an Achilles tendon injury.
The forward also considered a loan move to West Brom to remain in the Premier League last year. But a clash with then-Baggies boss Slave Bilic ended any move to The Hawthorns.
“I looked around the [West Brom] training ground, agreed the number on the back, everything,” Deeney said. “It was an ego clash between me and the manager really.
“The first time we sat down, he [Bilic] said: ‘Hi Troy, just want to let you know, you weren’t my first-choice, but we are here’. Funny that, you weren’t my first-choice [either], but we are here! That moment, you knew this wasn’t going to work out between the two of us.”
Should Tottenham have signed Deeney in summer 2020 transfer window?
Deeney would have offered Tottenham and their former manager Mourinho experience in numbers behind Kane had Spurs explored a transfer with Watford further. The 33-year-old has played 165 times in the Premier League throughout his career, scoring 47 goals.
Whether he could have forced his way into Mourinho’s plans more than Vinicius managed is uncertain, however. Deeney told talkSPORT last year of Tottenham’s interest: “I saw Jose at the Watford vs Spurs game pre-season. That’s all I will say.”
So, Mourinho clearly played a role in Tottenham exploring a transfer for Deeney before he stayed at Watford. While Vinicius played a mere 303-minutes over nine Premier League games, starting three, during his time in north London. He also only scored once for Spurs.
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