Iliman Ndiaye has spoken about his decision to snub Tottenham Hotspur in favour of a move to Manchester City late in the transfer window.
In the dying stages of the transfer window, it was reported that Tottenham have agreed a deal worth £60m with Everton for Ndiaye, as part of a double move that would see Richarlison head in the opposite direction.
However, both of those deals collapsed, with City swooping in at the last moment to hijack Spurs’ move for Ndiaye.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side then decided to sign Mykhailo Mudryk on loan from Chelsea on transfer deadline day with an option to buy for £75m, with the deal causing many raised eyebrows, given that the 25-year-old has not played for nearly two years.
Iliman Ndiaye admits he was always waiting for Man City despite Tottenham advances
There is much speculation on why the Ndiaye deal may have fallen through, with some wondering whether it was due to Richarlison not agreeing to return to Everton.
However, the Senegalese international has now made it clear that he always had his heart set on a move to the Etihad Stadium, and was waiting for the offer to come through.
When asked if he was close to joining Spurs, the former Everton man said (via ESPN): “For me it was always going to be City. I wanted Champions League and playing at one of the best teams in the world. I’m not saying Tottenham is not, but when Manchester City comes through, you don’t say no. It’s been a good week for me and topped off with a win.”
When asked about the events on the final days of the transfer window, the winger added: “There was no stress, no panicking. I always say whatever comes, comes. God decides your future, it’s already written. I was just being patient, and when City came through, I was buzzing. [Maresca is] someone who admired me, and as soon as they came through, I had only one direction where I wanted to go.”
Roberto De Zerbi believes Mykhailo Mudryk is ready to explode at Spurs
Tottenham’s decision to sign Mudryk has left many puzzled, with the winger having served a doping ban for nearly two years.
He failed to pull up any trees at Chelsea before his ban either, but De Zerbi believes that Mudryk is at the right moment in his career to showcase his qualities at Spurs.
The Tottenham boss suggested that the big move to Stamford Bridge could have come too early for the Ukrainian and challenged him to show his qualities on the pitch in North London this season.
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