Moussa Sissoko Wanted to Join Tottenham Not Everton
After Tottenham showed interest, Moussa Sissoko knew which club to play for.
Prior to Tottenham swooping in at the eleventh hour to sign Moussa Sissoko, it was thought that Everton had secured a deal for the Frenchman before the transfer window closed.
Instead, the 27-year-old was never close to joining the Merseyside club because he had his sights set on playing for Spurs when Mauricio Pochettino was interested in him.
This doesn’t take into account Everton’s majority shareholder, Farhad Moshiri, saving face and explaining that the Toffees didn’t want to sign Sissoko in order to protect James McCarthy’s place in the starting XI.
Whether that was a legitimate explanation or not, Moussa Sissoko was already in North London preparing to sign a five-year deal when reports surfaced that he had joined Everton.
The France international found the whole incident funny to say the least.
“I never went to Everton,” Sissoko told L’Equipe (via Evening Standard).
“It’s funny. I was watching TV, and I saw that a deal had been done with Everton and that I had signed for them.”
“But I was in London, waiting to sign my contract [with Spurs].”
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Despite saying that Arsenal was his dream club over the years, the allure of Champions League, reuniting with his compatriot Hugo Lloris and working with Mauricio Pochettino, were three reasons why he wanted to play for Spurs.
“The main thing is that I signed for the club I wanted to join,” Sissoko added.
“Of course I would have liked it to have happened earlier, but now it’s done.”
The addition of Sissoko now provides Spurs with a proper backup should anything happen to Mousa Dembélé. Be it suspension or injury.
Though with the Belgian international close to returning, finding a position to play the 27-year-old could be tricky.
At the same time, this is to be expected when Pochettino’s squad now has more quality players on the bench than in previous seasons.
Having experience in the Premier League, pace and power, this will undoubtedly see Moussa Sissoko earn some playing time.
September’s congested schedule with three competitions happening in the same week will make rotation a huge factor to keep Spurs fit throughout it all.
If Mauricio Pochettino is looking for someone who is eagerly awaiting club football to return, then Sissoko is ready to help out both domestically and in Europe.
“I hope to have a good season and I’m happy to be able to play in the Champions League. I have played at a World Cup and a Euro.”
“I was only missing playing for the cup with the big ears [Champions League].”