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Manager claims Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Tottenham was ‘almost a done deal’
Former Rubin Kazan boss Leonid Slutsky has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur almost signed Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia last summer.
Tottenham’s recruitment has come under plenty of scrutiny in recent years after some high-profile blunders in the transfer market.
Spurs have also missed out on some big names that have gone on to prove their quality in the Premier League, including the likes of Sadio Mane, Bruno Fernandes and Ruben Dias.
And the latest name to be added to that list seems to be Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who is enjoying an exceptional campaign with Napoli.
The 22-year-old made the switch to Naples last summer after a brief spell at Dinamo Batumi following his sudden departure from Russian outfit Rubin Kazan.
Now, Leonid Slutsky has told that the winger was actually really close to joining Tottenham around a year ago.
Tottenham nearly signed Kvaratskhelia
The former Rubin Kazan boss worked with Kvaratskhelia during his time in Russia and he claims that it was ‘almost a done deal’ for him to join Spurs.
“What he is doing is not a surprise to me,” Slutsky said. “Nobody knew about him before he came to Italy and that is understandable because the Russian league is not a popular league around Europe.
“But everybody in Russia knew. His quality, his position in world football now, that is not a surprise to any of us.
“I congratulate Napoli because they won the lottery. For next to nothing they have a £100m player.”
“A year ago, there was very serious interest from Tottenham,” he added. “It was almost a done deal.”
Kvaratskhelia has registered 30 goal involvements for Napoli this season and has played a key role in their outstanding campaign to date.
Luciano Spalletti’s men lead the way in Serie A and will also be hoping to book their place in the Champions League semi-final this week.
Much of their success has been down to the brilliance of Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen.
If Spurs were actually close to signing the Georgian winger, they will undoubtedly regret their decision to not go through with the deal.
Kvaratskhelia has gone on to become one of the most exciting talents in Europe and with Heung-Min Son struggling this season, he would have been the ideal long-term replacement for the South Korean star.