Official: Tottenham Hotspur swoop for £30m Sissoko leaving Everton furious
Transfer Deadline Day lived up to its reputation as Moussa Sissoko confirmed a last minute deal to sign with Tottenham Hotspur. The Frenchman looked all set to join Everton all day long, with Newcastle United having agreed on £30 million fee, only for Spurs to move in with a matching bid at the last minute to leave the Toffees high and dry.
At the end of the drama, Sissoko took to confirm the move before the window slammed shut on social media, tweeting:
Tottenham still have two hours to confirm the processing of documents before they can announce the transfer formallly, although since personal terms and a fee has been agreed, the transfer should go through. Mauricio Pochettino can now call upon the Frenchman in midfield, with Spurs having claimed his signature.
However, Everton were left furious as they were left with empty hands. The Toffees had gone to the extent of arranging a private jet to fly Sissoko in from Newcastle to Liverpool, only to be stonewalled as Ronald Koeman attempted to contact the Frenchman for over 90 minutes.
Tottenham were the ultimate victors, as Daniel Levy has pulled off another transfer coup by signing Sissoko.
Sissoko’s move is especially surprising given his admiration for Arsenal. In an interview given before Euro 2016, Sissoko practically begged to join the Gunners, saying “Everyone knows, I often said it when I was young, Arsenal is the club of my heart, because there were quite a few French players there like Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Sylvain Wiltord, Patrick Vieira who was my idol…”
“The beautiful Arsenal. We will see. I cannot tell you if I am going to go to Arsenal. For the moment, I am focused on the French national team and the Euros.”
However, football is all about the balance between sporting excellence and money, with Tottenham matching Everton’s financial terms while also offering the prospect of Champions League football has meant that Sissoko has opted for the North London side.
The Frenchman’s excellent summer has capped off with a move to Spurs, following him aiding France’s run to the Euro 2016 final, which lead to reported rumours of Real Madrid being interested in him as an alternative for a failed bid for Paul Pogba, who eventually moved to Manchester United.