Frenkie de Jong admits he ‘considered’ joining Tottenham last summer.
The 21-year-old has emerged as one of Europe’s brightest young talents at Ajax, helping the Dutch club into the Champions League quarter-finals, and admits he considered moving to North London after receiving a proposal from Tottenham last year.
“I considered their offer long and hard. I see Tottenham as a very stable club, and they are only getting better,” he told FourFourTwo.
“They give young players a chance and I see Mauricio Pochettino as a manager who really improves young players. I like the kind of football they are playing. I think it would have suited my game.”
The midfielder has since agreed a deal to join Spanish giants Barcelona in the summer, but he said that a move to the Premier League last summer wasn’t the right timing.
“The moment wasn’t right,” he added. “I wasn’t finished at Ajax, as I hadn’t yet played a full season in my own position.
“I was also injured in that period, so I was thinking, ‘Not yet’. I felt I should stay for another year at Ajax, or perhaps longer