Villarreal defender Pau Torres has opened up on why he decided to reject a big move to Tottenham Hotspur this past summer.
Tottenham were desperate for defensive additions over the summer.
Fabio Paratici struck to bring in Cristian Romero from Atalanta, striking a loan deal with a permanent deal set up.
Romero wasn’t the only target though, and Paratici looked towards Spain with Torres.
With a release clause of a huge £56million, Tottenham attempted a massive move for the centre back.
However, Torres rejected the move to Tottenham in favour of staying with Villarreal.
That was a real blow for Tottenham, with Torres now attracting interest from Manchester City.
Tottenham’s window of opportunity may now have gone. Torres, an elegant yet physical left-footed centre back, could have revolutionised Tottenham’s back line, which now sees Ben Davies utilised as a left-sided defender in a three.
This evening, Villarreal host Manchester United in the Champions League – and that means Torres facing Premier League competition.
24-year-old Torres has now spoken to The Guardian, opening up on exactly why he rejected that move to Tottenham.
Torres indicated that playing in the Champions League with his hometown club was bigger than joining Tottenham.
Torres added that Villarreal president Fernando Roig Alfonso left the decision completely up to him despite Tottenham offering ‘a lot of money’ – and he appreciated the freedom to choose rather than being forced out.
“The pull of playing the Champions League with the team from my town was bigger,” said Torres. “I was clear from the start. This is only the fourth time Villarreal reached the Champions League, which shows how hard it is and it was a dream to play the competition with my lifelong club.”
“The president didn’t put pressure on me, even though they could make a lot of money. He always said “the decision’s yours,” that he’d respect it. I appreciate that,” he added.
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