Fernando Llorente has revealed how a deadline-day call from Mauricio Pochettino convinced him to turn down Chelsea for a move to Tottenham.
Llorente looked set to link back up with Chelsea manager Antonio Conte - the coach he spent two years working under at Juventus - as the final day of the summer window approached.
However, Spurs swooped in to seal a £14m deal for the striker from Swansea on transfer deadline day to bolster Pochettino's striking options.
Despite having worked closely with Conte before, Llorente revealed that Pochettino called him to tell him more about the Spurs project, which proved to be the deciding factor in the Spaniard choosing the club over Chelsea.
Speaking to La Vanguardia after making his Spurs debut in the 3-1 Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, Llorente said: "The truth is that Chelsea have been after me for a long time but at the end you know how this works.
"At the very last minute, Pochettino called me and convinced me.
"The Tottenham project is impressive. They have done very well in the last few years, and I think I fit very well with this project. I think I can help them a lot."
The striker added: "It is clear that Pochettino played a very important role in the decision. I have known him since he was playing in Spain.
"I made my first-team debut against him at San Mames. He was at the end of his playing career and I was at the beginning of mine.
"Then he was the Espanyol manager and I faced him several more times. Now I play under him at Tottenham and I really want to give my best."
