Tottenham defender Emerson Royal has admitted he ‘didn’t want to leave’ Barcelona and make the move to London last summer.
The Brazilian arrived at Tottenham in a £22.5m deal from Barcelona last summer, having only returned to the Catalan club in a £12.6m deal in July.
He had returned to the Nou Camp following a successful two-year spell with Real Betis but was deemed surplus to requirements when Barcelona desperately needed to raise funds amid their financial crisis.
They did that with the sale to Tottenham, where he has since established himself as first-choice right-back, particularly since Antonio Conte arrived at the club.
He’s now starting to show some of the talent he was hoping he could display at the Nou Camp, with the Italian’s wing-back system getting the best out of him as it has done with countless others.
Things are going well, although he admits that he didn’t really have any intention to leave Barcelona as quickly as he did.
“In Barcelona, I was going to fight for the position,” he told Cadena SER.
“Barça were going through a very complicated economic moment, and I had good options for me here at Tottenham, in a league that is the best in the world. Barça needed money. I helped Barça and Barça helped me.
“I wanted to succeed at Barça. I had that desire, and I was going for it. When I arrived in Barcelona, I saw the club’s situation, and they talked to me.
“The decision was very complicated because I didn’t want to leave. But then I chose to leave because I saw that it was the best option for me.
“I think I did very well and today I’m at one of the best clubs in the world and in the best competition in the world.”
