Villarreal defender Pau Torres has revealed his reasons for snubbing a chance to join Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur this summer.
Speaking to AS, as relayed by Sport Witness, Villarreal and Spain centre-back Pau Torres has opened up on his decision to turn down a summer transfer to Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham enjoyed an eventful transfer window this summer, having signed as many as five players – Pierluigi Gollini, Bryan Gil, Cristian Romero, Pape Matar Sarr and Emerson Royal, who arrived on the transfer deadline day from Barcelona.
In between all that business, the Lilywhites were also strongly linked with a move for Villarreal’s Pau Torres. One of the best centre-backs in La Liga over the past couple of years, the Spaniard was on the radars of several top clubs across Europe this past summer.
Tottenham, in fact, had submitted an offer to sign the 24-year-old. However, their overtures were turned down by the Spanish international swiftly. And now, opening up on his decision to reject a chance to join the north London giants, the Villarreal academy product said: “I was informed of Tottenham’s interest, but I have always been clear that I wanted to stay at Villarreal.”
“My idea was to have an exciting season, I was very clear about what I wanted, and that was to stay at home and at Villarreal. That’s why it was a quick decision. All decisions are respectable; I wanted to stay. I’m happy with the decision I made, my idea was to stay at home and I’m happy about that,” the 24-year-old defender further added.
Torres was an integral part of the Villarreal team that won the UEFA Europa League last season. In addition, he was also a regular fixture in Spain’s run to the UEFA Euro 2020 semi-final while he also took part in the Tokyo Olympics. Already a top defender, with his best years still in front of him, the 24-year-old could have been a top signing for Spurs.
However, he opted to stay put with Villarreal, while Tottenham did secure another promising defender in the form of Cristian Romero. The Argentine was named the best defender in Serie A for the last season and was part of the Argentina team that won the Copa America 2021.
