Davidson Sanchez has confirmed there has been interest from Barcelona in the past but Mauricio Pochettino played a huge part in his decision to join Tottenham this summer.
The Colombia international arrived as Tottenham’s club-record signing after completing a stunning £35m move from Dutch giants Ajax towards the end of the summer window and the 21-year-old has made an untroubled start to life in the Premier League.
Sanchez has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona in the past and the fact that Tottenham have managed to sign the powerful defender only emphasises the strides they have made under Pochettino as a club.
Tottenham’s new defender has revealed there was interest from the Spanish giants but he was put off moving to the Camp Nou after being told he would start in Barcelona’s B team.
“Everyone was telling me, ‘you have to play in Barcelona: you’re fast, strong, technical made for it’,” Sanchez told The Daily Mail when asked about Barcelona’s interest before joining Ajax. “It was initially to play for Barca’s B team, but I wanted continuity at a high level.
“I had a fantastic time at Ajax and we reached the Europa League final. This summer, I heard a lot of noise, but Spurs was the only offer on the table. Mauricio Pochettino is a huge influence.
“I saw the chance to grow as a player. He is a truly great coach. To be a great coach is to be a great person. He can joke with you but you go out there and you want to fight for him.”
Tottenham have kept clean sheets in both of Sanchez’s league starts this season but the Colombian will be given his first big test in the Premier League when tasked with marking West Ham striker Andy Carroll on Saturday.
Only Mousa Dembele (96.4%) has a better pass success rate in the Premier League this season for Tottenham than Sanchez (91.7%).
