3 players who rejected a move to Tottenham Hotspur to join Chelsea

3 players who rejected a move to Tottenham Hotspur to join Chelsea

Tottenham Hotspur are not having the greatest of times in the transfer market as they failed to land most of their top transfer targets in the summer, before the start of the current season. They were expected to get deals done for some of those players in this January transfer window but they were dealt a huge blow after Antonio Conte’s Chelsea announced the signing of Everton star Ross Barkley.

Mauricio Pochettino was desperate for the midfielder’s signature but it is not the first time that Spurs have lost out on an important player to their London rivals Chelsea. The Blues have been a more successful club in recent years than the Lilywhites and here are three other players who rejected a move to Spurs, to join Chelsea in the past.

Alvaro Morata

The most recent signing that Spurs missed out on is Real Madrid star Alvaro Morata. Currently playing for Chelsea, the Spanish striker was in search of regular game time in the summer and Spurs were one of many clubs that were interested in his signature.

They were reportedly interested in signing him 2 years back as well and Pochettino claims that Morata rejected a move to the club. He eventually signed for Chelsea, who missed out on Romelu Lukaku in the summer. With Harry Kane leading the line, it is no surprise that Morata decided not to join the Whites.

Willian

Also currently playing for the Blues, Willian passed a medical at White Hart Lane and Spurs were expected to announce him in the summer of 2013 in a deal worth around £30m. However, just hours later, Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea owner, intervened, decided to test Willian’s resolve in this move and managed to bring him to Stamford Bridge, albeit at a slightly higher price. He was wanted by Spurs even a couple of years before and the rejection from the Brazilian winger will not have been easy for the Spurs fans to take.

Eden Hazard

The biggest regret for Spurs will definitely be their incompetence to sign Belgian genius Eden Hazard back in 2012. An exclusive report in the summer, from the Daily Mail, claimed that Eden Hazard was close to agreeing on a deal with Tottenham Hotspur before he signed for Chelsea.

The 27-year old was also wanted by Manchester United and he himself revealed that Spurs wanted him when he was a teenager. However, he went on to say that Tottenham’s failure to qualify for the Champions League on a regular basis meant that he had to reject a move, in favour of a place at Stamford Bridge.