José Mourinho Reveals When Christian Eriksen Told Him There Was 'No Way' He Would Stay at Spurs

José Mourinho has revealed that Christian Eriksen told him there was 'no way' he would be staying at Tottenham on the Spurs boss' first day in charge at the club.

Eriksen was long linked with a move away from north London before he finally sealed a £17m switch to Inter earlier this week. The Dane's departure ended a six and a half season association with Spurs, during which he made over 300 appearances in all competitions.

When Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino in November, Eriksen had just seven months remaining on his contract and midfielder was always clear to the 57-year-old about his desire to leave.

"The day I arrived he told me he was not going to sign,' the former Chelsea boss claimed. "Christian told me the decision was made and there was no way. From that moment I was just trying to build the team without him. That was the reason why I didn't play him many, many times.

"It was down to me and Mr Levy to manage the situation in an intelligent way. For me, to try to have a player without great motivations but with a good sense of professionalism to give us what he could. And for Mr Levy to do a great deal with six months on his contract."

Mourinho also revealed his belief that speculation over Eriksen's future negatively affected the playmaker's performances on the pitch.

"Christian was a good guy in the dressing room. Always positive and always respectful with the limitations of somebody that wants to leave because there are always limitations in this situation. You could feel in some matches he was not Christian; that is normal," he explained.

Eriksen was not the only prominent player to leave Spurs in January with Danny Rose joining Newcastle on loan until the end of the season.

Mourinho has also made moves to bolster his squad, bringing in Gedson Fernandes from Benfica and Steven Bergwijn from PSV Eindhoven. Spurs host Manchester City on Sunday and both Bergwijn and Fernandes could be in line for starts.

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Source : 90min