Islam Slimani reveals Jose Mourinho talks over Tottenham switch
In an interview with L’Equipe (h/t Express), Olympique Lyon striker Islam Slimani has revealed that Jose Mourinho tried to sign him at Tottenham last year.
Tottenham were desperately searching for a new centre-forward last summer as cover for star striker Harry Kane. A lot of names were considered before Daniel Levy & co. settled in on Carlos Vinicius, who arrived on loan from SL Benfica till the end of the season.
However, turns out he wasn’t Tottenham Hotspur’s first choice. Instead, the club were looking to bring in Leicester City target man Islam Slimani. So much so that Jose Mourinho even held talks with the Algerian striker over the possibility of a transfer, as confirmed by the player himself. (h/t Express)
“At the start, I was the typical scorer. I changed my way of playing a bit in Turkey [2018-2019, in Fenerbahce], where I had to drop out to get balls. And then with Wissam [Ben Yedder] in Monaco [2019-2020], it worked well like that too, even if [Robert] Moreno [the coach, arrived in December 2019] chose to only play with a striker last year, so to put me on the bench.
“Mourinho then called me at this time for Tottenham. It is a form of reward. You tell yourself that some see your efforts.”
Following his loan spell with AS Monaco in 2019/20, Slimani returned to Leicester City, who were willing to let him go on a free transfer, which appealed to Tottenham. A move, though, failed to materialise and he ended up signing for Lyon on a free transfer this past January.
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Slimani, given his experience in the Premier League and his ability to play as a target man would have suited Mourinho’s team. But, the move fell through and instead it was Vinicius who benefited.
