Fernando Llorente has confirmed that it was a last minute call from Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino that convinced him to snub Chelsea this summer.
The Spaniard was reportedly all but set to join the Blues near the end of the transfer window, only for London rivals Spurs to swoop and land Llorente from under their noses.
As quoted by the Evening Standard, the experienced forward explained that although Chelsea had held a long-standing interest in him, the allure of playing under Pochettino was too strong to refuse.
The truth is that Chelsea have been after me for a long time but at the end you know how this works. At the very last minute, Pochettino called me and convinced me.
The Tottenham project is impressive. They have done very well in the last few years, and I think I fit very well with this project. I think I can help them a lot.
Llorente moved to Spurs for a fee of around £12 million, and made his debut for the club on Wednesday night off the bench, with Tottenham coming away with a 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League opener.
It is clear that Pochettino played a very important role in the decision. I have known him since he was playing in Spain.
Antonio Conte worked with Llorente during the pair’s tenure at Juventus, and is known to be a huge admirer of the former Athletic Bilbao striker.
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