Adebayor took pictures holding Aston Villa shirt, then changed his mind

Emmanuel Adebayor was close to joining Aston Villa in July, but decided to back out of the deal after speaking to a pastor, according to Matt Law of the Telegraph. He says that Adebayor was so close to completing the move that he took pictures holding the shirt before deciding that a move to Villa was not right for him.

The 31-year-old had been close to joining Aston Villa at the end of July, but stunned Villa officials when, having completed a medical and posed for pictures in the club's shirt, he stalled on the deal by claiming that he wanted a sign from God that it would be the correct move.

Adebayor is understood to have then consulted his pastor over the prospect of moving to the Midlands before finally deciding against the switch, much to the frustration of Villa manager Tim Sherwood.

Adebayor and Tottenham Hotspur negotiated his contract termination today, but were unable to finalize an agreement. Much like the Villa deal, Adebayor came very close to agreeing before backing out at the last minute. This means that Adebayor cannot play for another club until January, unless he sent to a lower-division side on a temporary loan.

Despite Spurs' lack of depth at striker, Adebayor is unlikely to be given a chance to get back into the first team, but Spurs will be very unhappy that they haven't found a way to get him off their books.