Spurs star admits Arsenal showed interest in signing him this summer
Tottenham Hotspur splashed the cash on Richarlison this summer, but the star has admitted London rivals Arsenal tried to hijack the deal.
Richarlison joined Spurs in a £60 million deal this summer (Sky Sports) and has become an instant favourite among the Lilywhites fanbase.
The Brazilian attacker has registered two goals and two assists in his first eight games for the club (Transfermarkt).
Richarlison has already earned plaudits for his performances this season. Teammates Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg praised his training (SpursPlay) and Eric Dier (TottenhamHotspur.com) praised Richarlison’s work rate and skillset.
Tottenham Hotspur managing director of football Fabio Paratici has also spoken of his delight at the impact his new signing has had since joining Spurs, in a video from the club’s official Twitter account.
It is well documented that Chelsea tried to swoop for Richarlison and secure a transfer over Tottenham (Fabrizio Romano), but now it has emerged that fellow London rivals Arsenal also tried to step in and lure the Brazilian to join them instead.
In an interview with FourFourTwo, Richarlison described the events over the summer that led to him switching from Everton to Tottenham.
He said: “I was on holiday in Brazil when I heard that Tottenham made Everton an offer. I was happy, because they are a huge team. Then it was all about the clubs negotiating a deal and, fortunately, everything went well.
“Antonio Conte called me during the negotiations and expressed how much he’d like to have me on board. That was vital for my decision.
“I know Chelsea made an offer. And I believe Arsenal also contacted Everton to ask about my situation. But Spurs came in and paid the fee, you know? It’s as simple as that.”
Spurs Web Opinion
From the sounds of it, regardless of which club made approaches for Richarlison, his mind was made up almost instantly that he wanted to join Spurs. He’s clearly very happy at the club, and we’re all happy here’s here too.
Richarlison’s passion, attitude, and skills are the perfect addition to our squad, and you get the feeling there’s still so much more to come from the Brazilian.
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