Former Genoa football director, Stefano Capozucca, has revealed that Diego Milito rejected Tottenham’s advances in 2008 in order to sign for the Italian club.
Milito was returning for a second spell in Genoa in the summer of 2008 after three impressive seasons with Real Zaragoza in La Liga.
The striker enjoyed a prolific season on his return to Italy, scoring 26 goals that campaign (transfermarkt), earning him a transfer to Inter Milan.
Milito eventually went on to create history by winning the treble under Jose Mourinho at Inter, but it appears things could have been very different.
Spurs lost both Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov in the summer of 2008 just six months after selling Jermain Defoe to Portsmouth.
The Lilywhites invested in Giovani Dos Santos from Barcelona and Roman Pavlyuchenko from Spartak Moscow, but Capozucca claims it was Milito who the Lilywhites really wanted.
Speaking to Tutto Mercato Web (as relayed by Sport Witness), he said: “To return to Genoa he (Milito) refused Tottenham, with us he made an extraordinary championship and landed at Inter.
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“A particular purchase, but he was the most important player I have ever had.”
Spurs Web Opinion:
In hindsight, we really did mess up that summer and the club had no choice but to bring the likes of Jermaine Defoe, Robbie Keane and Pascal Chimbonda back just six months later. As it happened, we manage to improve next season and qualify for the Champions League under Harry Redknapp but one can certainly wonder what if with our failed move for Milito.
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