Despite murmurs of interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, Turkish superstar Arda Guler was never close to joining either London club before confirming his move to Real Madrid this summer according to Fabrizio Romano.
There is plenty of hype surrounding Madrid’s latest capture, with Guler previously tipped to become a ‘superstar’ by a Manchester City scout (Fanatik).
A report from Turkish Football back in May of this year had pinned Newcastle United and Arsenal as key figures in the race for Guler’s signature.
According to Spanish outlet AS, the Gunners were prepared to meet the release clause for the 18-year-old. Guler registered six goals and seven assists for Fenerbahce last season (Transfermarkt) and had caught the eye of top clubs across Europe since.
Journalist Chris Wheatley claimed last month that Spurs could reignite their interest in the youngster during the current transfer window, having previously been linked to Guler back in January.
Guler never wanted to sign for Tottenham or Arsenal
However, Guler was only ever going to sign for Real Madrid as he was intent on moving to La Liga. That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who made the claim on his Here We Go podcast.
He said: “I can tell you one thing, it was never close – we had many reports about this boy – but he was never close to joining Arsenal, Tottenham or any English club.
“From what I heard, the boy never wanted to go to the Premier League at this stage of his career, he thinks the Spanish league is best for him, so he really wanted to go to Spain.”
Spurs Web Opinion
When a club like Real Madrid come knocking for these kind of promising youngsters, they almost always win the battle.
It will be interesting to see whether Guler fulfils his potential with the Spanish side, or if he falls by the wayside with all the talent Madrid have at their disposal.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
