Friday 2 September 2016 12:00, UK
Moussa Sissoko says he never agreed to sign for Everton on Deadline Day and insists Tottenham were always the team he wanted to join.
Everton manager Ronald Koeman was keen to bring Sissoko to Goodison Park, agreeing a club-record £30m fee for the France international with Sky Bet Championship side Newcastle.
The Toffees had agreed personal terms with Sissoko and organised a plane to take him to Merseyside to undergo a medical, but Sissoko, 27, instead signed a five-year deal at White Hart Lane, which he says was always his intention.
"I never went to Everton," Sissoko told L'Equipe. "It's funny. I was watching TV, and I saw that a deal had been done with Everton and that I had signed for them.
"But I was in London, waiting to sign my contract [with Spurs]."
Sissoko enjoyed a stellar Euro 2016 tournament for France and the midfielder is hoping to replicate that form for Spurs in the Champions League this season.
"The main thing is that I signed for the club I wanted to join," Sissoko said. "Of course I would have liked it to have happened earlier, but now it's done.
"I hope to have a good season and I'm happy to be able to play in the Champions League. I have played at a World Cup and a Euro.
"I was only missing playing for the cup with the big ears [Champions League]."
