Tottenham Hotspur forward Mohammed Kudus came close to joining Chelsea before his move to North London earlier this summer.
According to The Athletic, the only reason why Tottenham pipped their capital rivals to Kudus’ signature was because the player had already given his word to Spurs.
Kudus’ move to Tottenham was one of the most talked-about transfer stories of the summer. He was on holiday in Ghana when Chelsea sounded out their interest.
The Blues wanted to bring him in early on to bolster Enzo Maresca’s squad ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup campaign in June. Talks accelerated quickly, and personal terms had already been agreed.
However, Chelsea and West Ham United couldn’t see eye to eye on a suitable transfer fee.
Chelsea tabled a bid worth £40 million plus Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in a player plus cash deal, but the Hammers turned down the proposal.
Dewsbury-Hall went on to join Everton, throwing a wrench in Chelsea’s transfer plans.
Tottenham swooped in to hijack the deal at the right time
With Kudus’ move to Chelsea stalling, Tottenham swooped in to hijack the deal. They submitted an initial £50m offer, but it wasn’t enough to convince West Ham.
However, both clubs subsequently agreed a £55m deal, making Kudus the first player to move between West Ham and Tottenham since Scott Parker in 2011.
Kudus was reportedly surprised by interest from Tottenham but wasn’t opposed to the move.
Tottenham were keen, but they knew Chelsea’s presence would complicate their plans, so they only formalised their interest after getting the green light from the player.
The Ghanaian international was convinced that he would get more playing time in North London than at Stamford Bridge, with Pedro Neto and Estevao already on Chelsea’s books.
Kudus has enjoyed an impressive start to life at Tottenham so far. He’s yet to open his goalscoring account but already has two assists in three Premier League games.
With Tottenham preparing for this weekend’s showdown against West Ham, Kudus can expect a hostile atmosphere when he returns to his old stomping ground.