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There was, let's all admit it now, a moment of panic for a while late Friday when Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas announced that another English club had come in for Clinton N'Jie. That club turned out to be Arsenal, and it was suggested that this could have delayed or even scuppered N'Jie's signing. Thankfully, that didn't happen, and in quotes given to French daily L'Equipe, N'Jie said that he never intended to sign for any club but Tottenham.
The L'Equipe article is behind a paywall, but the relevant quotes were reported in numerous English papers, including the Mirror:
"I've never been afraid that my transfer to Tottenham would not materialize. I never had the leaders of Arsenal on the phone, they only contacted my agent. My choice was made, I was determined to join Tottenham.
Here I will evolve under the orders of Mauricio Pochettino, a coach who plays youngsters and progresses. Thursday, after my arrival in London and medical tests, he greeted me with the president, Daniel Levy, to tell me he hoped I would be available as soon as possible.
When I arrived in Europe, it was a goal and a dream of playing in the Premier League one day."
The fact that it was Arsenal that attempted the last-minute gazumping should send a certain subset of Spurs fans into feelings of great vengeance and furious anger, but in truth this is just football, and it appears that there wasn't much to get too worked up over. N'Jie was confirmed as a Spurs player by Saturday morning and was on hand to watch Spurs draw Stoke City at White Hart Lane.
The Cameroonian forward is Tottenham's fourth signing of the window, and while he is signed with an eye towards the future, Tottenham's anemic wing play on Saturday might prompt manager Mauricio Pochettino to give him a chance sooner rather than later.
Spurs are still expected to be active in what's left in the transfer window, with reports suggesting Spurs are still interested in bringing in Saido Berahino and/or Javier Hernandez, as well as a new central midfielder. With just over two weeks left, there's not too much time to make a deal happen and it could shape up to be another very exciting transfer deadline day.