Scout admits he ‘tried so hard’ to get Prem rivals to sign Tottenham hero

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Former Chelsea scout Piet de Visser admits he ‘tried so hard’ to bring a young Luka Modric to Stamford Bridge before Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur completed a £16 million deal for the Croatian back in 2008, speaking to Voetbal Nieuws. 

It is well documented that Chelsea tried and failed to lure Modric across London 11 years ago; a pursuit that plunged an already frosty relationship between the two capital city clubs well below freezing point.

But, according to De Visser, this was not the first time Chelsea missed out on one of the finest footballers of the modern era. 

“The whole world knows that Modric is a top midfielder. I have followed him since he was 15 years old,” admits De Visser, who spent 15 years in West London before departing recently, per Transfermarkt. 

“I tried so hard for Chelsea to get him young, but I never succeeded. Later, he went to Tottenham Hotspur and then we were too late with Chelsea.” 

Chelsea wanted Luka Modric but Tottenham Hotspur refused to sell

Now a Ballon D’Or and five-time Champions League winner; Modric spent four seasons at Spurs before joining Real Madrid in a £30 million deal which, with the benefit of hindsight, has proven to represent rather remarkable value for money. 

“We wanted to pick him up from Tottenham before he moved to Spain),” De Visser. “And we were done (with regards to personal terms).

“The chairman (Daniel Levy) put a stop to it. He and said: ‘he can go where he wants, but he will never go to a rival. Then Modric was sold to Real Madrid for less money (than Chelsea were offering).” 

Modric, capped 154 times by his country, is about to lead Croatia into another World Cup. A repeat of their run to the final in 2018 could be beyond even the magical Modric’s powers, however.

“He is a great footballer, an all-rounder,” adds De Visser. “(Modric) is small, but he sees the game and also has four lungs. He defends, attacks and passes. Modric has everything. It is not normal that he is still performing at this age.”