UK Edition
Alvaro Morata turned down Tottenham move because he 'feared' rivalry with Harry Kane
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has claimed Chelsea’s new £70 million striker Alvaro Morata turned down the chance of a move to White Hart Lane because he feared he would be overshadowed by Harry Kane.
Morata joined the Premier League champions this summer from Real Madrid after Romelu Lukaku snubbed a return to Stamford Bridge and instead went to Manchester United, who were originally linked with the Spaniard.
But Pochettino says Morata, 24, was given the opportunity to become a Tottenham player two years ago but was afraid he would have to play second fiddle to Kane, who has been the Premier League’s leading goalscorer for the last two seasons.
“Morata talked about myself in the media,” Pochettino said. “He said: ‘Mauricio called me’. That was from the beginning, two years ago or more.
“He said to me: ‘Why do you want me if you have Harry Kane?’ You know, if you go to try to sign a striker, they will say: ‘Eh gaffer, you want me for what? To be on the bench?’
“Because it’s Harry Kane, I can’t compete with Harry Kane or Hugo Lloris or different players.”
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte irritated Pochettino last week by saying if there was one striker he could sign, it would be Kane.
Pochettino also flagged up the difficulties he has faced in the transfer market as others have spent huge sums.
“It’s so difficult to convince good players to come and then be on the bench. Then the problems starts.”
- Alvaro Morata is valued at £6.5m in Telegraph Fantasy Football, whereas Harry Kane is valued at £7.0m, but who would make your team? - Pick a team now >>