Chelsea and Tottenham reportedly failed in a late attempt to sign Thomas Meunier from PSG on deadline day.
According to a report by Belgian outlet La Derniere Heure, Thomas Meunier was the subject of a late attempt by Chelsea and Tottenham to lure him to London on deadline day. However, PSG were not open to the idea of selling the Belgian defender, thus, quickly rebuffing approaches by both clubs.
Meunier joined PSG last summer following an impressive five-year spell with Belgian heavyweights Club Brugge. At Parc des Princes though, the player didn’t immediately establish himself as the first-choice right-back, and was behind Serge Aurier in the pecking order to begin with.
However, as the season wore on, Meunier displaced Aurier as the first first-choice, having turned in several impressive performances. However, his time in the French capital could have come to an end after just one season, if two Premier League clubs had their way.
Chelsea and Tottenham – two clubs who were in desperate search of a player to man the right side of their respective defensive units – were keen on signing Meunier in the recently closed transfer window.
Thomas Meunier was a “top priority” for both Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea during the summer transfer window just passed. [DH] #COYS#THFC pic.twitter.com/sV7eN4LL0m
— Ricky Sacks ? (@RickSpur) September 5, 2017
The Blues had, in fact, been scrambling to sign an ideal player for the right wing-back slot all through the transfer window, with Victor Moses the only player at Antonio Conte’s disposal for the position.
Danilo and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were two of the most high profile names who were linked with them. However, the duo preferred moving to Chelsea’s rivals – Manchester City and Liverpool, respectively – instead, and Conte’s search for a right wing-back stretched till the eleventh hour, when he signed Davide Zappacosta.
Meanwhile, Tottenham were in search of a right-back this summer, following the transfer of Kyle Walker in a £50 million deal to Manchester City. The Englishman’s departure had left Mauricio Pochettino with Kieran Trippier and an inexperienced Kyle Walker-Peters as choices for the right side of defence.
Tottenham eventually went on to sign Serge Aurier in a £23 million deadline day deal from PSG. But, as it turns out, the Ivorian’s former teammate, Meunier was Pochettino’s primary target to fill the void left by Walker’s move.
Similarly at Chelsea, Conte had turned his attention towards the Belgium international after facing defeat in pursuit of Oxlade-Chamberlain. However, PSG had no intention of selling Meunier this summer, or in the near future as they rate the player very highly.
The 25-year-old, too, was eager to stay at Parc des Princes and fight for his place in the first-team setup, with Dani Alves the new first-choice right-back in Unai Emery’s side. As for Chelsea and Tottenham, only time will tell if Zappacosta and Aurier are worthy alternatives to Meunier.
