Agent admits Mourinho confronted him over Arsenal’s rumoured transfer move

Kia Joorabchian has admitted that Jose Mourinho accused him of trying to hijack Tottenham’s move for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and take the midfielder to Arsenal instead.

Tottenham announced the capture of Hojbjerg earlier this week and it is fair to say that the move did not come as a surprise with plenty of speculation leading up to the announcement.

The Athletic revealed that the midfielder had rejected offers from Everton, Monaco and Ajax due to the fact he was determined to work with Mourinho at Tottenham, despite being offered higher wages elsewhere.

However, Joorabchian admitted that Mourinho thought he was trying to take the Danish international to Spurs’ North London rivals instead.

The agent has a close relationship with the Arsenal hierarchy since he represents a number of players at the club, and rumours suggest that he is having a growing influence on their transfer business (Metro).

Joorabchian denied that he tried to bring Hojbjerg to the Gunners despite rumours to the contrary.

He told talkSPORT (as relayed by The Evening Standard): “When a story picks up, it goes. I was talking to Jose after Pierre signed [for Tottenham] and he said, ‘Ah, you were trying to get him to Arsenal’.

“We never tried to get him to Arsenal. He had an offer from Everton.

“A rumour picks up and people kind of think, oh that sounds good, let’s try and build on that because we have nothing else to write.”

Spurs Web Opinion

What this revelation from Joorabchian confirms is that Mourinho was extremely keen on signing Hojbjerg, instead of the midfielder being a bargain option that he merely agreed to go along with. Given the lack of funds at our disposal this summer, Jose’s connections with various agents and directors could actually prove a useful asset for us in trying to get deals over the line.

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