Chelsea new boy Alvaro Morata was a 2015 target for Spurs, according to Mauricio Pochettino.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has told The Telegraph that new Chelsea signing Alvaro Morata snubbed a move to North London two years ago.
Spurs remain the only Premier League club yet to bring in a new signing this summer, though they have sold right back Kyle Walker to Manchester City in a big-money deal.
Money from Walker’s exit may now be available for Pochettino to spend on new signings, but Tottenham do appear to be in a different position to many other Premier League clubs.
The Spurs starting line-up is arguably the best in the Premier League, and it’s now difficult for manager Pochettino to bring in signings when they know they would have to put up with being a substitute.
After Vincent Janssen failed to impress last season, some fans still want to see another striker brought in to support Harry Kane – but Pochettino has now explained just how difficult the task is for Tottenham.
Pochettino has revealed to The Telegraph that he attempted to sign Alvaro Morata from Juventus back in 2015, but the Spaniard responded by asking just why Tottenham wanted him, as he would only have to sit behind Kane on the bench, meaning he snubbed a move to Spurs – and Pochettino notes that he faces that problem regularly in the transfer market.
“Morata talked about myself in the media,” Pochettino said. “He said: ‘Mauricio called me’. That was from the beginning, two years ago or more. He said to me: ‘Why do you want me if you have Harry Kane?’ You know, if you go to try to sign a striker, they will say: ‘Eh gaffer, you want me for what? To be on the bench?’ Because it’s Harry Kane, I can’t compete with Harry Kane or Hugo Lloris or different players,” he added.
Alvaro Morata
Morata, now 24, hit 27 goals in 93 games for Juventus following a 2014 move from Real Madrid, before returning to the Spanish giants last summer, scoring 20 goals in 43 appearances last season.
Last month, Morata completed a £58million (The Guardian) move to Chelsea, meaning that he will be lining up against Spurs last season. Signed as a replacement for Diego Costa, Morata will be the clear first choice centre forward a Stamford Bridge, and many will now be interested to see how he compares to Kane in the Premier League.
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