“Were favourites” – Balague names one Spanish star who was close to joining Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur were favourites for Barcelona star Ansu Fati

According to BBC Sport’s Guillem Balague, Tottenham Hotspur were the favourites to sign Barcelona star boy Ansu Fati in the summer on loan for this season but he eventually chose to join Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Spanish wonderkid apparently held long conversations with Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou and was considering making the move to the North London club. Unfortunately for us, the Seagulls stepped in at the last moment.

Fati was struggling for game time at Barcelona with manager Xavi Hernandez hardly ever giving him a start. Much of it had to do with the fact that there was a feeling that the Spaniard had not regained his fitness levels after successive injuries.

A talented young player who broke out at the tender age of 16, everyone imagined that the sky would be the limit for Fati. It still might be but the past two years have been a minor bump in the long road.

Barcelona decided that it was best to loan Ansu Fati out and get him some regular game time. This also enabled them to pursue the signing of Portuguese star Joao Felix and they have signed him on loan for this season.

Tottenham seemed like the most likely destination for the star boy but it was eventually Roberto de Zerbi who managed to convince the 20-year-old old to join Brighton instead. Fati has made a decent start to life at the Amex.

Speaking about the situation, here is what Balague had to say

“Tottenham were favourites to sign him and a deal was close to being done after Ansu had a long chat with manager Ange Postecoglou. Ultimately though, it was the persuasive skills of Brighton coach Roberto de Zerbi that brought him to the south coast of England”

Considering the injury situation we find ourselves in, especially on the left hand side of our attack, signing Fati would have been perfect for us. Sadly though, he has moved on to a different opportunity.

More Tottenham Hotspur News

• Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United to battle it out for Edmond Tapsoba
• Tottenham Hotspur set their sights on Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino
• Tottenham Hotspur star Manor Solomon is set for a spell on the sidelines

Barcelona might still look to sell Fati or loan him out next season. He would be a great addition for us. Let’s see if we go in for him at that time.