Friday 5 August 2016 15:45, UK
Alex Pritchard has apologised to Brighton after deciding to renege on a move to the south coast and sign for Norwich instead.
Brighton held extensive talks with Tottenham to agree a deal for the promising 23-year-old and it is understood the Seagulls were set up to give him a medical on Tuesday night after agreeing personal terms.
But a late move by Norwich saw Pritchard undergo a medical with the Canaries early on Wednesday instead and he was confirmed as a player for Alex Neil on Wednesday.
The former Spurs trainee told Sky Sports News HQ: "I'm not going to lie about it. I had a good conversation with both clubs and I can only choose one. I apologise for what happened.
"I just left home. I wasn't on the M25, I don't know where that's come from. It's one for the gaffer to talk about, not me. I'm a Norwich player, not a Brighton player. It is what it is. It's football.
"It was a difficult choice. There was interest from both parties. For me it was purely a football decision, and getting to the Premier League, and I'm just here now and can't wait to get started. I think it's the best option for me."
Pritchard rose to prominence on a season-long loan at Brentford during the 2014-15 campaign in which the Bees made the play-offs under Mark Warburton, but his development was hampered by injury last term.
He was expected to be in the running for a first-team place at White Hart Lane but instead went to West Brom on loan until the end of the campaign before Spurs decided to put him on the market for £8m.
Pritchard said: "My time at Tottenham was great. I'd been there since I was a kid. But now it's time for me to get on with my career and kick on with a big club, cement a place, and get to the Premier League.
"The Championship is tough. When I was at Brentford, we had a run of games where we won eight in a row. That's the challenge you've got to set yourself and grind results out."
