Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that Chelsea’s summer signing Alvaro Morata turned down a move to Tottenham over concerns he would not be able to dislodge Harry Kane from the side.
The Spurs boss has explained that the 24-year-old was against the idea of moving to White Hart Lane two years ago due to the fierce competition he would have faced from Kane.
Morata has finally completed a move to the Premier League this summer in a £58million switch from Real Madrid to Chelsea.
Pochettino continued the war of words with their London rivals by suggesting that their club-record record signing Morata feared a move to Spurs.
“Morata talked about me in the media and said, ‘Mauricio called me.’ That was from the beginning, two years ago or more,” Pochettino said, as quoted by the Telegraph.
“He said to me, ‘Why do you want me if you have Harry Kane?’
“You know, if you go to try to sign a striker, they will say, ‘Eh gaffer, you want me for what?
“‘To be on the bench? Because it’s Harry Kane, I cannot compete with Harry Kane or Hugo Lloris or different players.’”
Pochettino’s comments have come out amid his frustration over Chelsea boss Antonio Conte questioning Spurs’ commitment, while also heaping huge praise on the quality of Kane.
The two teams fought for the Premier League title last season before it ended up at Stamford Bridge and are expected to be some of the frontrunners in the upcoming campaign.
Morata has been tasked with trying to fill the boots of Diego Costa for the Blues, with the latter expected to depart the reigning champions.
The Spain international has only ever played a supporting role during his time with Real Madrid and Juventus, but now may get the full chance to show his talent.
Meanwhile, Kane is set to once again lead the line for Spurs and will be aiming to picking up his third consecutive Premier League golden boot.
OPINION
Pochettino has clearly grown frustrated with Chelsea in recent days and taken a clear swipe at them in return. The Argentinian boss suggests that Morata feared competing for Kane in the Spurs starting XI and it’s easy to see why. Kane is currently ahead of his Premier League rival and is the outstanding striker in the division, proving that with 35 goals in 38 appearances across all competitions last season. It will now be up to Morata to show he can be a top striker in England and has the perfect opportunity to do so, but the chances are Kane will continue to be the top dog.