Tottenham’s latest signing Fernando Llorente has revealed that club manager Mauricio Pochettino convinced him to join the North London club over local rivals Chelsea.
Following summer-long speculation over his future at Swansea City, the Spanish striker sealed his move to fellow Premier League side Tottenham on transfer deadline day in a £14 million transfer deal.
The 32-year-old was initially targeted by a host of Premier league sides including reigning champions Chelsea, but Llorente has revealed that a conversation with Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino convinced him to join the club, despite reckoning that he will be utilized as a second fiddle to English star striker Harry Kane.
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 former Juventus and Sevilla star scored 15 league goals in his debut campaign in English football last season and was widely expected to leave Swansea this summer.
“It is clear that Pochettino played a very important role in the decision. I have known him since he was playing in Spain,” Llorente added.
“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.”
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