Tottenham Hotspur had been linked with the Hull City man but instead he moved to Leicester City.
Tottenham Hotspur fans would have been forgiven for watching Harry Maguire swap Hull City for Leicester City and wonder how on earth their chairman Daniel Levy let it happen.
After all, Tottenham had long been linked with the 24-year-old his emergence as one of the best young centre-backs in England meant he was a perfect long-term investment for the North London club.
Now contrasting reports from the Daily Mail and the Sun have their say on why Maguire is not a Tottenham player, and it makes for interesting reading.
The Mail claims that while Tottenham were interested, and were willing to match the wage package on offer at the King Power Stadium, Maguire was worried about a lack of first-team chances with Mauricio Pochettino’s side and instead opted for the Foxes.
Contrast that with the Sun’s claim that Tottenham – despite continuing to talk with Hull about a potential move in the days before his Leicester switch – were not prepared to match the lucrative offer on the table from the former Premier League champions.
Transfer windows have a habit of throwing up contrasting stories about the same player, and perhaps we will never know exactly why Tottenham opted not to make a move for a defender who should hit the ground running at Leicester next season.
But if Spurs really were unwilling to match the contract offer from Leicester, it suggests Pochettino could see a new defender as a back-up option to his current first-choice pairing of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld, rather than as a vital replacement for the latter.
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