Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has claimed that Alvaro Morata once turned down the opportunity to play for the North London club as he was wary of competing for a place in the team with Harry Kane.
The 24-year-old Morata joined Chelsea this summer from Real Madrid and will likely be the main striker for the defending Premier League season, with Diego Costa expected to soon leave the club.
Pochettino has now said that his club were interested in signing the Spanish international Morata two years ago but that the player turned down the opportunity as he was wary of competing with Kane, who has since gone on to become Premier League top goal scorer for the past two seasons.
Pochettino said: “Morata talked about myself in the media. 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.”
