1. Footymad
  2. Spurs Mad
  3. Spurs Latest
  4. Spurs News

The Reasons Why Tottenham Weren't Able to Sign Willian Jose Revealed

​Tottenham's reluctance to buy players for the sake of it was largely why they didn't follow up on their initial interest in Willian Jose.

José Mourinho had been on the lookout out for a striker this window in a desperate bid to find an adequate replacement for Harry Kane, who could moss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his hamstring.

A number of strikers were linked with a move to north London, including Chelsea's Olivier Giroud, but Mourinho quelled any talk of further additions this month on Friday, insisting that he was 'happy' with his squad despite not bringing a striker in.

"I’m happy [with the squad] but the next question will be: ‘And a striker?', I have to answer yes, it would be better with a striker," he said. "Yes, we would need a striker to have a better squad to face the great challenges in front of us in three different competitions."

Willian Jose was one of the forwards heavily linked with a move to ​Spurs, with a bid of around €15m rejected earlier in January. He was subsequently left out of several Real Sociedad squads - including the Copa del Rey clash against Espanyol last week in which he asked not to play - when it looked possible that a deal could be pushed over the line.

Willian Jose Da Silva

However, as Mourinho said in his pre-match press conference, the club would not be forced into panic buying for the sake of numbers, meaning no further bids were made for the 28-year-old. 


The ​Evening Standard have revealed that this is the reason Spurs didn't pursue the deal further. The €30m sought by the Basque club was deemed for too pricey for the ​Premier League side, and so discussions ended on Thursday. Knowing that they would need to secure a work permit to complete the ​transfer may also have had a bearing on Spurs' stance.


Due to Tottenham pulling the plug, La Real offered Willian Jose to a number of clubs around Europe, including Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Barcelona.


Mourinho admitted he would have preferred to bring a striker in as Spurs fight on three fronts, but said there was nothing the club could do given their standpoint.

Jose Mourinho

He added: "I cannot hide. If I say it’s an easy situation to play three competitions without a striker, I’m going to lie and I cannot lie. It’s important for us but if it’s not possible for us, it’s not possible."

For more from Ross Kennerley, follow him on Twitter!  


Source : 90min