Villarreal defender Pau Torres has revealed that he showed no hesitation in rejecting the opportunity to join Tottenham this summer. The 24-year-old was heavily linked with a move to north London during pre-season, with Manchester United also mentioned in connection with his services.
Torres has established himself as one of La Liga’s finest defenders in recent years and helped Villarreal to seal a maiden Europa League triumph last season.
His strong performances at the heart of Unai Emery’s back four turned plenty of heads before the start of the summer transfer window.
United were credited with a strong interest in Torres, who reportedly has a release clause in the region of £50million.
However, the Red Devils went on to sign long-term target Raphael Varane from Real Madrid, ending the possibility of a move for the Villarreal man.
He was also linked with Spurs, who eventually welcomed Atalanta defender Cristian Romero to the club on a season-long loan deal.
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Torres has since revealed that he was told about Tottenham’s desire to sign him, but made the simple decision to stay at Villarreal for at least another season.
“I am informed of Tottenham’s interest, but I have always been clear about what I wanted to continue at Villarreal,” the Spaniard told AS.
“My idea was to live an exciting season, I was very clear about what I wanted and that was to stay at home and at Villarreal. Therefore, it was a quick decision.
“All decisions are respectable, I wanted to stay. I’m happy with the decision I made, my idea was to stay home and I’m happy about it.”
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Torres managed to ruffle the feathers of one or two Spurs fans on Twitter with his comments, with one supporter claiming: “We didn’t want you anyways, we have [Davinson] Sanchez.”
Another simply wrote: “Don’t care.”
However, a number of supporters expressed their admiration for Torres in chasing his European dream with the club he joined at the age of five.
“Cannot blame him,” quipped a third fan. “Took his boyhood club to the UCL. He must play for them in the UCL surely.”
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“Fair play, respect that,” said another.
Torres is yet to make a La Liga appearance for Villarreal this season but played more minutes than any of his team-mates last time around.
He was also heavily involved for Spain at Euro 2020, making six appearances in the competition and chipping in with two assists.
It remains to be seen whether Spurs will eventually go back in for Torres, either in January or at the start of next summer’s transfer window.