Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will line-up for his side against Tottenham Hotspur tonight in the Champions League but it could easily have been for the Lilywhites.
The striker has revealed to BILD (via Mirror) that he came very close to joining Tottenham in 2012. The player visited the training ground that year and was ready to move but the North London club did not follow up or show any real interest in signing him.
“I was at Tottenham back then, had a tour of the stadium and the training ground,” the 28-year-old told Bild (as quoted by Mirror).
“We held talks, but after that nobody contacted me again. That’s definitely extra motivation for me on Wednesday.”
The Gabon international still has that snub at the back of his mind as he gets ready to face Tottenham at Wembley in the opening group match for his side tonight. And, he is extra determined to make Spurs pay for that mistake.
It is an interesting revelation because according to the report, Aubameyang visited the training ground with his agent and even had a tour of the stadium. Generally, that privilege is limited only to a new signing which is probably why the striker must have felt that he was close to signing for Spurs.
How tables have turned since then! Aubameyang has grown into a world-class striker in recent years and is a consistent scorer for his club. His prolific record at club level indicates why there is so much interest – he has scored 126 goals in 195 games for the club and surely there is so much more to come.
The Gabon international has started this season in his usual prolific style by scoring 6 goals in 5 matches across all competitions. After his stunning 40 goals from 46 matches last season, this is expected to be another high-scoring season for the forward.
Wouldn’t it have been be great to have Aubameyang in our colours tonight? Mauricio Pochettino would have loved to have Auba in his ranks and play Harry Kane together with him. That would have been a deadly duo!
However, there is no time to cry over things gone by and it is prudent to concentrate on the season ahead. We have the right squad to be a success in both the Premier League and the Champions League – even without Aubameyang in our ranks.
