Tottenham Hotspur have missed out on a number of signings over the years but new claims are emerging about a failed move for Brazilian star Hulk.
Tottenham fans could name a host of players that slipped through the net or were linked repeatedly.
From Willian to Eden Hazard and more recently Luis Diaz, Tottenham have come close to signing some big names.
In terms of rumoured signings, few really compare to the repeated linking of Leandro Damiao to Tottenham.
It is now emerging that Tottenham missed out on signing another Brazilian, this time during the Jose Mourinho era.
Remember Hulk?
No, not Bruce Banner, the former Porto winger.
After shining in Japan, Hulk was snapped up by Porto in 2008 and became a star.
Known for the devastating power in his left foot, Hulk smashed his way to 77 goals in 170 games for Porto.
Hulk did end up picking up a reputation for following the money. When Zenit St Petersburg were splashing the cash, Hulk headed there. He unsurprisingly dominated in Russia with 77 goals in 148 games.
Chinese clubs became the big spenders and Hulk joined Shanghai SIPG. Curiously, Hulk’s record there was 77 goals in 145 games.
That’s exactly 77 goals for three clubs in a row, a quite bizarre statistic.
Hulk did end up going back to Brazil with Atletico Mineiro and still plays for them now at the age of 35.
Hulk has now been speaking about his career over in Brazil, even revealing interest from Tottenham in quotes carried by Globo Esporte.
The timing seems to be around January 2021, with Jorge Mendes attempting to take Hulk to Tottenham.
Jose Mourinho was in charge at the time and was seemingly approving a deal put forward by his own agent Mendes.
However, Brexit regulations meant that Hulk wasn’t able to join Tottenham, leaving him to sign for Atletico Mineiro instead.
“It was a time when Turkish clubs came out very strong in the proposals: Besiktas, Fenerbahçe and Istanbul Basaksehir. There were daily calls,” said Hulk “Few people know, but in this period I came to agree with Tottenham. Jorge Mendes, a Portuguese businessman, called me and said he had talked to coach José Mourinho and asked if I wanted to play in England. Sure! It was all set so that I could be legalised in the country. But it was not possible due to a change in the Premier League regulations.”
“There was a change with some criteria for playing in England. Having recently been called up by the Brazilian National Team, and having played in some of the top five leagues in the world: Italy, Spain, Germany, England or France were some of them. I spent a good amount of time in China and consequently outside the national team’s call-ups. Lawyers even tried a special license, but it was not possible,” he added.
Hulk could have offered another scoring option to help Harry Kane, but it’s hard to imagine him making a big impression in the Premier League well into his 30’s.
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