Tottenham Hotspur missed out on the signing of Yann Sommer this summer, because he wanted to remain a number one.
Voetbal Nieuws relay information from Het Laatste Niuews today regarding the goalkeeper, who is facing criticism at Club Brugge.
The Switzerland goalkeeper signed in the summer as the replacement for Simon Mignolet. There was plenty of excitement about the deal at the time. But that excitement has now dissipated due to a series of high-profile mistakes.
The worst of those came in the recent defeat to Aston Villa in the Champions League. That’s led to some reflections. The biggest of those is that Sommer was not the first choice target this summer. That honour belongs to Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels.
Tottenham offer not enough
Brugge, however, turned to the goalkeeper thanks to a change in management at the club. The new sporting director Guilian Preud’homme then targeted the former Inter Milan goalkeeper.
He managed to convince him into the move after Preud’homme built up a rapport with him. He was able to convince him to ignore offers from elsewhere.
The goalkeeper had options to join Tottenham Hotspur or Villarreal. But neither Tottenham nor the Spanish side could offer him first-team football. Sommer wanted guarantees of a starting spot.
| Every Tottenham Hotspur signing 26/27 | Previous Club | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Sandro Tonali | Newcastle United | £92.5m |
| Mateus Fernandes | West Ham United | £85m |
| Sávio | Manchester City | £75m |
| Jan Paul van Hecke | Brighton | £52m |
| Tosin Adarabioyo | Chelsea | £7m |
| Marcos Senesi | Bournemouth | Free |
| Andy Robertson | Liverpool | Free |
| Martin Dúbravka | Burnley | Free |
| Cole Ramsey | Aston Villa | Free |
No Spurs regret
His priority after leaving Inter was to keep playing. In fact, it was his ‘main priority’. He did not yet see himself as a back up goalkeeper, nor did he want to quietly wind down his career.
Brugge capitalised on that by offering him a three-year contract with a central role in their young squad. Tottenham eventually signed Martin Dúbravka on a free transfer from Burnley to act as the experienced back up to Antonin Kinsky.
That’s a decision they are now perhaps looking back on happily as Sommer struggles in Belgium and Brugge regret their choice.
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