Fiorentina director Daniele Prade has explained Sofyan Amrabat wanted to stay at the club to prove himself despite transfer interest from Tottenham in January.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reported that Spurs were in advanced talks to sign Amrabat last month with Antonio Conte wanting to bolster his options in midfield.
However, a move for the 25-year-old failed to materialise with Spurs opting to pursue a move for Uruguay international Rodrigo Bentancur on transfer deadline day instead.
With Amrabat’s stay in Florence confirmed, he recently earned just his second Serie A start of the season for La Viola against Spezia on Monday.
The Moroccan gifted the hosts an opener after being caught on the ball, but atoned for his error by firing home the winner after 89 minutes to open his Fiorentina account.
Prade gave his verdict on his side’s 2-1 win and Amrabat’s part to play, to which he explained the midfielder elected to stay at Fiorentina to prove his worth to the club.
He told TuttoMercatoWeb: “I’m very happy for Amrabat. That mistake could have cost him dearly but the goal is a liberation. He deserves it.
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“There were a lot of teams who wanted [to sign] him but he wanted to stay. He is stubborn and wanted to prove that he is a Fiorentina footballer.”
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Towards the end of January, it seemed likely that Amrabat would be Tottenham-bound, with Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici being convinced of the move.
Spurs’ pursuit of Bentancur will have given him a reason to stay at Fiorentina and fight for his place, which he is already doing.
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