The Athletic journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke has claimed a number of other clubs congratulated Tottenham for completing the signing of Pape Matar Sarr from Metz.
Spurs sealed a deal worth around €17 million (£14.6m) plus bonuses for the 18-year-old midfielder last summer after a promising season in Ligue 1 (Sky Sports).
Sarr was loaned straight back to Metz for the rest of last season but endured a less successful campaign as Les Grenats suffered relegation with a 19th place finish.
After Spurs completed the transfer, The Athletic revealed they managed to fend off significant interest from a host of other top clubs at the time, including several in the Premier League.
And Pitt-Brooke has since echoed those claims but also revealed a number of recruitment chiefs contacted Tottenham to congratulate them for acquiring the talented Senegal international.
He told Last Word On Spurs: “Sarr, I think it will be another year on loan I think.
“He’s still very young, I don’t think his last season at Metz was as good as his first season. He’s a big talent, he’s one of the best young players in the world in his position.
“I know for a fact that when Tottenham signed him they had other heads of recruitment at other clubs ringing them up saying, ‘Wow, you did well to get Sarr, he’s someone we wanted for a while’.
“So the club clearly think highly of Sarr, I would say another loan for him.”
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Tottenham’s move for Sarr came relatively out of the blue at the time but there has been plenty of excitement about the transfer, especially given how cheap the deal was.
Even though he has come off a tough season, the fact a number of clubs congratulated Spurs for sealing the move can speak volumes as to how sought-after he was.
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