Everton pulled out of a deal to sign Frenchman Moussa Sissoko to protect Republic of ireland midfielder James McCarthy’s place in the team, according to the Premier League club’s majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri.
Advertisement
Sissoko looked likely to join Everton on Wednesday evening but then Tottenham firmed up their interest with a rival £30m bid for the 27-year-old France worldwide, who impressed in the latter stages of Euro 2016.
In the hours that followed, Everton entered into talks with the Championship side and when a fee was agreed between the two clubs, it looked like Sissoko was heading to Merseyside.
He had a poor season past year during the club’s eventual relegation from the Premier League, but impressed during his Euro 2016 campaign with France, sparking interest from the likes of Everton and Real Madrid.
“I’ve said a lot of times that I want to play in the Champions League so that’s one of the reasons why I came here – to have the possibility and the chance to play this year”.
Yet Sissoko appears to have had a change of heart, with Everton unable to contact the player or his agent throughout Wednesday afternoon once he learned of the interest from Tottenham.
Moussa Sissoko insists that Tottenham Hotspur was the only club on his mind on deadline day, despite suggestions that he turned down Everton at the last minute.
Speaking in L’Equipe, Sissoko said: “I never went to Everton”. “I am in the prime of my career and I want to play for a big team”.
He told the club’s official website: “We will work well together as we have the same objectives. We wish Sissoko the best”.
Advertisement
The lure of playing with worldwide team-mate Lloris was also a factor in his decision, with the Tottenham goalkeeper expecting big things from a player who was inconsistent for Newcastle but performed well for his country at Euro 2016.
