Was it due to the competitive pressure from Son Heung-min (33), or did he dislike the Tottenham uniform? It has been revealed that Marcus Rashford (28, Aston Villa) rejected Tottenham's offer, citing "overseas preference."
The British 'Telegraph' claimed on the 11th (Korea time) that when Tottenham targeted Rashford at the beginning of the transfer market last January, they received a response that "Rashford prioritizes overseas transfers," causing them to shift their interest to Mathys Tel (20, Bayern Munich).
Rashford is a product of Manchester United's youth academy. Making his first-team debut at 18, Rashford quickly established himself as a key player for Manchester United. Since the 2018-2019 season, he has scored double-digit league goals for three consecutive seasons, emerging as a representative striker for Manchester United.
However, Rashford gradually became a headache as personal issues emerged. Newly appointed manager Ruben Amorim excluded Rashford from the lineup due to concerns about his training attitude.
In response, Rashford stated in an interview, "Personally, I feel it is time for a new challenge and to prepare for the next step," and publicly expressed his desire to transfer.
As Rashford entered the market, several clubs, including Tottenham, expressed interest. There were also reports that Tottenham viewed Rashford as a replacement for Son Heung-min.
However, Rashford decided to wear the Aston Villa uniform instead of Tottenham's. Tottenham, which had strong connections with Rashford, signed Tel on loan from Bayern Munich, where Kim Min-jae plays.
According to reports, Tottenham's interest in Rashford was genuine. Tottenham directly inquired about Rashford's transfer. However, Rashford responded that he preferred overseas leagues over the Premier League.
According to reports, Rashford's decision to remain in the Premier League instead of going abroad was made at the end of the January transfer market. He wanted to participate in the Champions League in the Premier League rather than transfer to another league.
As a result, Rashford has been performing well after joining Aston Villa. He has played in 8 matches with no goals but recorded 3 assists. In contrast, Tel has played 6 matches for Tottenham but has only scored 1 goal and has yet to score in the league.
Meanwhile, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou remains confident about Tel's success. Postecoglou noted, "Tel joined us at a really difficult time."
He added, "There is a big difference between playing when you have match fitness and being suddenly thrown into a game when you haven't been regularly playing," explaining that "although he was in the process of building his fitness, we had limited options in the team, so we often put him on the field."
Moreover, he mentioned, "He is still a young player, and the league is different with varying demands," noting, "What is clear is that we are not at our best right now. In the last match, it wasn't a situation where he would be expected to get many chances."
Postecoglou praised, "Since he joined, I've seen that he is a mentally very strong player."
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