Newcastle United full-back Kieran Trippier has opened up on his 2019 transfer from Tottenham Hotspur to Atletico Madrid.
The English right-back, who recently returned to England’s top-flight, revealed how he knew Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy was offering him out months before a move ever materialised.
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Speaking to Alan Shearer for The Athletic, Trippier said: “If you look back to the last few months of my Tottenham career, I admit that I wasn’t at the levels that I was at the [2018] World Cup and there’s no excuse for that.
“As a footballer, you’re trying to do your best and sometimes things don’t go your way. It just wasn’t happening, but I was still getting picked by [manager] Mauricio Pochettino.
“After the Champions League final, it felt like the right time to move on. The media weren’t really on my side at the time and maybe I needed to get out of England for a bit just to clear my mind. I never looked back.
“What annoyed me … as you know, people in football speak and there are always rumours, but I know 100 per cent for a fact – and this is what I was most angry about – that two months before the end of the season, Daniel was offering me to other clubs. I knew for certain that was happening, so I knew my time there must be up. I was playing for my team-mates and the supporters, but I also knew I wasn’t wanted.”
Now back in the Premier League with newly taken over Newcastle United, Trippier will undoubtedly be looking to set the record straight and would probably like to get one up on his old club when they meet on April 2.
Ohhh look another player or manger blaming levy but all these fools who keep saying he’s great wake the hell up