Watford legend Troy Deeney has revealed how close he came to joining Tottenham Hotspur during the 2019/20 season, after Watford’s relegation from the Premier League.
In an interview with talkSPORT, Deeney shared details of his conversations with then-Spurs manager José Mourinho, highlighting how the move almost materialised.
Following Watford’s relegation, Deeney attracted interest from both Spurs and Arsenal. However, it was his talks with Mourinho that brought him closest to sealing a move to North London.
Deeney explained that Tottenham’s primary target at the time was Brazilian striker Carlos Vinicius, but Mourinho was clear that if the Vinicius deal fell through, Deeney would be next in line.
The forward appreciated Mourinho’s honesty and was excited about the possibility of joining Spurs, even though his role would have shifted from being Watford’s talisman to a supporting player.
Reflecting on the potential move, Deeney said:
“Yeah, I had a chat with Jose. I didn’t speak to Mikel, that was more board-level interest at Arsenal. They were dealing with it, thinking about how we could make it happen.
“Obviously I wasn’t going to these places looking to start, so it was kinda like the clubs were thinking, ‘Yeah let’s do it, as long as [his attitude is right].
“They wanted Carlos Vinicius. He was their man target. And it got to the point where, if that didn’t happen, they’d bring me in. I had a chat with Jose and it was like, ‘What do you want to do? How do you want to do it?’ And Jose wanted to check that I could deal with going from being a main man [at Watford] to being one of the squad.
“I was thinking about Fernando Llorente who went there previously, who kept scoring when he played. I said all I’m going to do is push Harry Kane to be the best version he can, and be his biggest cheerleader. Playing for Spurs was massively beyond my dreams.
“Jose was straight with me, about Vinicius being a better fit and that they wanted to get that deal done. Unfortunately for me, they did sign him.”
Although Deeney was eager to make the move to North London, Spurs eventually signed Vinicius, ending the possibility of Deeney’s transfer.
Despite the missed opportunity, Deeney remains proud of his career at Watford, where he spent 11 years and played a crucial role in their promotion to the Premier League.
He is a club legend there, having made over 400 appearances for them, scoring 140 and assisting another 62.