The best players that Tottenham Hotspur almost signed are Ronaldo and Mbappe

Tottenham Hotspur They have made some eye-catching signings in their history, with Daniel Levy Big spending lately.

However, Tottenham have also failed to bring in some world-class players to north London, with Eberechi Eze the latest Spurs transfer to falter. As the deal neared completion, fierce rivals Arsenal were swept under the rug and the attacking midfielder came under the radar of Tottenham.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t just EZ. Tottenham have been passed over for the position or rejected by a slew of legends, from Cristiano Ronaldo to Kylian Mbappe.

10 Tottenham stars who were close to signing

10

Cristiano Ronaldo

Scout and former Spurs player Ronnie Rosenthal was urging Tottenham signs Cristiano Ronaldo When he was coming at Sporting Lisbon.

However, Tottenham did not listen, as Manchester United acquired the Portuguese star for just over £12 million in 2003.

9

Kylian Mbappe

Back in 2015, a teenage attacker named Kylian Mbappe has impressed Tottenham bosses Monaco during the Europa League match against Tottenham.

Those in north London had been monitoring the Frenchman and were looking to bring him to the club, however, they soon realized he was out of reach, with Mbappé chosen over PSG.

8

Diego Maradona

Tottenham legend Teddy Sheringham spent two spells with Tottenham and he once revealed that the club was in talks to sign Diego Maradona.

Ossie Ardiles coached Tottenham in 1993-94 and once told Sheringham that he was looking forward to sharing the attack with Maradona.

7

Rivaldo

Levy missed out on signing Brazilian icon Rivaldo in 2002 when he was looking for a new club after leaving Barcelona.

Manuel Osset, Rivaldo’s friend and lawyer, said Tottenham had offered the 30-year-old a move to the Premier League, but he chose Milan instead.

6

Eden Hazard

Now remembered as a Chelsea legend, Eden Hazard was a Tottenham player when he left Lille in 2012.

Former Tottenham coach, Clive Allen, admitted that the Belgian star was “keen to come to Tottenham” but instead chose to head to Stamford Bridge.

5

Bruno Fernandes

Mauricio Pochettino and Tottenham made a concrete effort to sign Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon in 2019.

Fernandes, who eventually moved to England with Manchester United, once revealed he was “really angry” over his failed move to Tottenham after Pochettino convinced him to join.

4

Sadio Mane

Tottenham and Pochettino made Sadio Mane their top target of 2016, however, and Liverpool have overtaken Tottenham.

The Reds paid £34m for the would-be legend at Anfield, with Tottenham instead using money that would have gone to the striker for midfielder Moussa Sissoko.

3

Virgil van Dijk

Tottenham had Virgil van Dijk on their shortlist of centre-back targets in 2015 when the Dutchman was still on Celtic’s books.

Instead of signing Van Dijk, Tottenham brought in Toby Alderweireld from Atletico Madrid, with Van Dijk signing for Southampton in the same year.

2

Jack Grealish

At one point, Spurs thought they were on their way to signing him Jack Grealish from Aston Villa For only 25 million pounds sterling.

Grealish was unhappy that his move to Tottenham fell through in 2018, however, three years later, he cost Manchester City a then British record £100m.

1

Luis Diaz

Tottenham were in pole position and pushing to sign Luis Diaz from FC Porto in the January 2022 transfer window before Liverpool hijacked the move.

The Reds paid a guaranteed fee of £37.5m for the Colombia international, who would go on to win the Premier League at Anfield before being sold for a profit to Bayern Munich.