Brazilian international Hulk explains the reason for not joining Tottenham Hotspur in 2020
According to excerpts from the book released by Hulk regarding his career (h/t The Sun), the Brazilian international sheds light on why he couldn’t join Tottenham Hotspur in 2020 despite the club accepting a move for him.
It is understood that Jose Mourinho was interested in luring the forward to North London and the deal was almost finalised. The Brazilian international did not meet the required criteria for a visa and subsequently joined Atletico Mineiro in January 2021.
The 35-year-old has made 49 appearances across all competitions for the Brazil national team, bagging 11 goals and seven assists in the process. That being said, it has been a long time since he has represented Seleção on the international stage.
Hulk shed light on the process required to get the visa and how it ultimately meant that the Brazilian couldn’t make his move to the Premier League.
“There was a score with some criteria to be played in England. Having recent call-ups by the Brazilian national team, and having played in some of the top five leagues in the world: Italy, Spain, Germany, England or France were some of them. I spent a good amount of time in China and consequently outside the national team’s call-ups. Lawyers even tried a special license, but it was not possible.”
Hulk is a no go for Spurs
The Campina-Grande-born player has had notable stints with FC Porto, Zenit St. Petersburg, Shanghai Port, and more before making the move to Mineiro. He had a substantial impact with these clubs and it makes you wonder if he would have recreated the same kind of magic at Hotspur Way.
Whilst he has a great knack for getting on the scoresheet, one could argue that the Premier League is arguably tougher than the other places where he has plied his trade. That being said, Hulk does possess blistering pace and a dominating physical presence which are great assets to have in England’s top flight.
The Portuguese manager isn’t one to be easily swayed and despite his sour ending with us, has in the past had a brilliant eye for great talent. The club has managed to maintain its stature ever since reaching the final of the UEFA Champions League in the 2018-19 season.
Since then we have seen a lot of incoming and a few outgoings but none of them have managed to have the kind of long-term impact that we would have desired. The mentality and stability of the club also play a big role when it comes to a player’s form on the pitch.
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Tanguy Ndombele also reflected on how having to work under so many different managers in a short spell of time really affected his game. One couldn’t be faulted to think that the same could happen with any other big player considering that the Frenchman was absolutely exceptional with Olympique Lyonnais
I guess we”ll never know how it would have turned out should Hulk have made the move to the North London club. That being said, it is time to keep the past in the past and look towards the future as we have a decent chance of securing a Champions League spot for next season.
