Report: Club ‘almost’ signed Spurs man in January before Conte intervened

According to a report in Sport Grigiorosso (16/02/23 as translated by Sport Witness) Pape Matar Sarr almost completed a move to Cremonese during the January transfer window.

It was largely an evening to forget for Tottenham at the San Siro on Tuesday as they struggled to create clear-cut opportunities and fell to a 1-0 loss.

However, the one bright spark for the Lilywhites was Sarr, who stood up and delivered a mature display in the absence of senior midfielders due to injury and suspension.

It was the 20-year-old’s first Champions League start and just his third start for Tottenham but one would not have guessed it based on his performance as he looked extremely composed through the 90 minutes.

The youngster was linked with a loan move to Salernitana during last month’s transfer window (La Citta di Salerno and CalcioMercato) but Sport Grigiorosso have now claimed that Paulo Sousa’s men were not the only ones who tried to sign him.

The publication asserts that Cremonese were also keen on signing Sarr and ‘almost concluded the negotiations’ for him.

However, it is explained that Antonio Conte intervened at the last moment to block the Senegal international’s loan move.

Spurs Web Opinion

I do not think Conte would have ever planned on letting Sarr go without bringing in another midfielder. 

However, I suspect that the Tottenham boss decided against signing a midfielder because he was impressed with the 20-year-old in training. 

Hopefully, the former Metz man can repay the faith shown by Conte and the coaching staff over the coming months, with both Bissouma and Bentancur out with long-term injuries.

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