Peru international Paolo Guerrero has opened up about his failed move to Tottenham Hotspur.
The 40-year-old is currently at Peruvian side Club Alianza Lima. He had a chat with DyT’s Diego Rebagliati and Talía Azcárate, reviewing his long career. This is when he revealed Tottenham’s approach, and his comments are relayed by Infobae.
Tottenham made an offer for Guerrero when he was at Corinthians between 2012 and 2015.
He won the FIFA Club World Cup with the Brazilian side in 2021, beating Chelsea in the final. The striker’s goal proved to the difference between the two clubs.
The frontman joined Corinthians in 2012, after spending 12 years in Germany with Bayern Munich and Hamburger SV. He had made up his mind to leave them in January 2013 and was determined to join the north London club.
Arsenal technical director Edu Gaspar was then director at Corinthians. Guerrero took Tottenham’s proposal to the Brazilian, who didn’t let him join the Premier League side.
“When I arrived at Corinthians, I said to myself: ‘I win the Club World Cup and I’ll go back’,” he said.
“Did I have opportunities to return to Europe? Many, but Corinthians didn’t want to sell me or didn’t want to negotiate. The last offer came from Tottenham, which was a loan-purchase [option].”
“I went with the proposal to talk to Edu Gaspar, who is now Arsenal’s director, and I said ‘I have this, please’. His response was: ‘Do you want the crooked thing to kill me, Paolo? Rest assured that here you will be the highest paid footballer in South America’.”
The Peruvian has revealed Edu and Corinthians failed to offer him a convincing renewal proposal.
“He didn’t comply. I didn’t renew with Corinthians because the proposal they made me wasn’t within what I think I deserved. I believed that because I was Peruvian, they were not valuing me. That’s how other proposals [Flamengo] arrived, and I left,” Guerrero explained.
The experienced striker hasn’t returned to Europe since leaving Hamburger SV more than a decade ago.