Former Lyon forward Lisandro Lopez has spoken of his frustration that a move to Tottenham Hotspur failed to materialise.
The Argentina international was something of a prolific forward during his time in Europe after scoring 63 goals in 142 appearances for Porto bagging notching 82 in 168 games for Lyon until his departure in 2013.
Andre Villas-Boas attempted to bring Lopez to White Hart Lane a week before the transfer window closed in 2013 and even though an alleged deal was agreed, the Lyon chairman changed his mind.
Lopez revealed that it wasn’t the first time he had been denied a move having previously seen interest from both Juventus and Chelsea, only to find himself remain in France.
He became disillusioned and vowed never to play in Europe again before moving to Qatar and now the 35-year-old is back in his native Argentina playing for his boyhood club Racing.
Spurs went on to instead sign Roberto Soldado in a then club-record £26million deal (BBC) from Valencia.
Lopez was quoted by Sport Witness as saying: “After three years and nearly 80 goals, the manager (Rémi Garde) decided to play me on the left and Gomis up top, Lacazette on the right and Grenier or Gourcuff behind. I wasn’t happy. After six months, I gave him the captain’s armband and said I’d rather be a sub than play in that role. At the end of the season I had the chance to go to Juventus, but the chairman refused.
“A week from the end of the transfer window, Villas-Boas called me to play for Tottenham. We agreed everything, and the chairman again shut the door. That’s when I learnt that AVB had made an offer for me with Chelsea, but no one ever told me. I was so disappointed that I promised myself to never play in Europe again.”
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