Two-Time Champions League Winner Reveals Tottenham Tried to Sign Him at 19
Former Chelsea Star Reveals Tottenham Tried to Sign Him Early in His Career
Spurs’ Transfer Regrets Grow as Courtois Admits Past Interest
Tottenham fans are all too familiar with the frustration of seeing players they nearly signed go on to become stars elsewhere in the Premier League.
Names like Luis Suarez, Jack Grealish, Willian, Eberechi Eze, and Eden Hazard are just a few examples.
A recurring complaint among supporters is that the club fails to push hard enough for game-changing signings, often missing out on talents who could have significantly elevated the team.
Thibaut Courtois Confirms Spurs Interest
Now, Spurs fans can add another name to that list—Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian goalkeeper recently admitted that Tottenham showed interest in signing him when he was still at Genk.
Since then, Courtois has enjoyed a stellar career, winning multiple trophies with Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, and Real Madrid, while earning over 100 caps for Belgium.
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel, the 32-year-old revealed:
“When I was at Genk, starting to do something decent, obviously there was some interest from Tottenham, some interest from Chelsea, some other teams from other countries.
“Obviously, Chelsea at that moment had the project for me in the long-term, basically because David [De Gea] was going to Manchester [United], it opened the door for me to go on loan to Atlético [Madrid].”
No Regrets Thanks to Hugo Lloris
While missing out on Courtois may seem like a mistake in hindsight, Tottenham did sign Hugo Lloris in 2012—just a year after Courtois left Genk for Atlético.
Lloris went on to become the best goalkeeper Spurs have had in the Premier League era, ensuring that there aren’t too many regrets at N17 over the Belgian’s career path.
