One former Spurs player has opened up on his feelings about leaving Tottenham and whether the club ever really considered terminating his contract.
It was reported by several outlets over the summer that Bryan Gil had his heart set on a return to Girona, and the winger eventually got his wish on transfer deadline day.
In the final days of the window, it was even suggested that Tottenham may terminate Gil’s contract and allow him to join the La Liga side on a free transfer.
However, in the end, Spurs did get a fee for the Spain international, with Girona paying £8.5m to sign Gil permanently on the back of his impressive loan spell at the club last season.
Bryan Gil admits he was desperate to leave Tottenham
The 24-year-old’s Tottenham Hotspur nightmare is finally over, and he confessed that he had his heart set on returning to Estadi Montilivi from day one.
Gil admitted that he was never happy at Spurs due to his lack of game time and revealed that the North London club never considered terminating his contract.
The winger told AS: “I want to thank everyone for the confidence shown and for being here today. I was very clear about coming here and continuing what I did last year. It’s a very important step for me, and I’m happy to sign as a permanent player. We’re all where we want to be.
“It’s been an important summer, but what I wanted happened, and I’m happy. There was talk of terminating my contract with Tottenham, but they never wanted it. If that had been the case, I would have been here by July, and everyone would have felt more at ease.
“The most important thing is to be happy somewhere. Thank God, I was very happy and comfortable last year, and now being part of this project for the next five years is important.
“I’ve changed teams a lot; I couldn’t be happy at Tottenham because if you don’t play, you’re not happy, and I’m going to be happy here. It’s important to be happy to be able to perform at the highest level and make it back to the national team.”
Girona director admits a deal was difficult to reach with Tottenham
According to reports, Spurs had been working to find a buyer for Gil all through the summer, but in the end, they had to wait until transfer deadline day to get a deal over the line.
Girona’s porting director, Quique Carcel, has said that negotiations with Tottenham had been ongoing for a long time, revealing that in the end, the player’s desire to return to the club proved crucial for the deal.
Carcel said about Gil’s signing: “It’s been a very long summer; we talked about his return from the very beginning. We knew it would be complicated due to the current transfer market.
“Tottenham had their arguments. He was the key because we spoke to him from the start, and he wanted to return. It’s appreciated that a player who has had many offers was willing to wait for Girona.”