Emmanuel Eboue says he left Arsenal to work with legendary coach Fatih Terim and claims Spurs tried to sign him.
New Galatasaray defender says Tottenham wanted him
Emmanuel Eboue says he left Arsenal to work with legendary Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim and claims Tottenham made an approach to sign him.
The Ivory Coast international completed his move to the Turkish giants on Tuesday for €3.5million, having been made surplus to requirements at The Emirates.
Eboue, 28, revealed Gunners boss Arsene Wenger spoke highly of Terim, who is in his third spell in charge of the club, and that went some way towards making his mind up.
"The reason why I've signed for Galatasaray is that the manager wants me here and he wants me to play, so that gave me more confidence to come here," he told
Sky Sports News.
"When I spoke to Arsene Wenger about it, he said the manager here is a really nice guy. So when he told me that I was happy and I said 'okay, I'll come here to see if it's true or not'.
'Challenge'
"Everyone was so happy to see me and now this is another challenge for me. I've promised to my new manager that I'll give everything for him and for myself."
Eboue might not have had to move from his North London home, however, after revealing that Spurs made contact over a proposed move before he opted for Turkey.
He added: "Before I went to Galatasaray, I had many contacts - from Tottenham and many other clubs in Europe."
The versatile defender, who has played 61 times for his country, is the fourth first-team player to leave the Emirates this summer after Gael Clichy, Denilson and Cesc Fabregas.
