Georginio Wijnaldum has admitted that he wanted to join Tottenham before signing for Liverpool this summer.
Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum in action
Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum has revealed to Dutch magazine Voetbal International, as quoted by The Sun, that he held talks with Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino last month about joining Spurs.
Jurgen Klopp’s men travel to North London this afternoon for a huge clash at White Hart Lane, with a couple of interesting sub-plots to the game, such as Dejan Lovren, Nathaniel Clyne, Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho all facing their former manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum in action with Barcelona’s Aleix Vidal
Another interesting angle appears to have emerged, with midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum set to feature for Liverpool against the club he could have signed for earlier this summer.
Sky Sports reported last month that Tottenham wanted to sign Wijnaldum, but eventually pulled out of the race to sign the Dutch international – just one day before he completed a move from Newcastle to Liverpool.
Wijnaldum will now be looking to show Tottenham what they are missing, and in the build up to the game, the former Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven star has revealed just how close he came to lining up on the other side this afternoon.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino
Speaking to Dutch magazine Voetbal International, Wijnaldum admitted that he actually visited Pochettino’s house for talks last month, and even told his agent he wanted to sign for Tottenham, adding that the Argentinian is a ‘terrific manager’ and left him impressed with what he said.
Wijnaldum added that financial terms meant the deal fell through, and he knew he wanted to join Liverpool as soon as he spoke to manager Jurgen Klopp.
After explaining why he was on the bench under Rafael Benitez at Newcastle last season, Wijnaldum admitted that he got more and more enthusiastic about signing for the Reds — and today, he will look to show just why Klopp made sure he signed him.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp
“I went to Mauricio Pochettino’s house before I spoke to Liverpool,” revealed Wijnaldum. “After the meeting I told my agent ‘I’m going to join Spurs’. Pochettino is a terrific manager, if you look at the way his teams play. I was impressed with what he had to say.”
“He set out his way of working and I was convinced he could improve any player no matter what age they are. His method gives players such specific duties they become better as a result. I saw Spurs as being a very good fit for me — but we were unable to agree financial terms with them. With hindsight, though, that was not a disaster.”
“Pochettino was terrific but then Jurgen Klopp made me feel even more relaxed. From the moment I first spoke with him I knew that I wanted to join Liverpool. I fell for Klopp — hook, line and sinker. He invited me to his house and before I was even inside he was asking me why I’d been on the bench last season. I explained it was a decision taken by Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez and he said he didn’t understand it. We then began talking and I got more enthusiastic by the minute,” he added.
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