Gylfi Sigurdsson insists he had no desire to leave Tottenham in the transfer window even though the club signed a number of players in his position.
Tottenham’s drive to minimalise the impact of Gareth Bale’sn departure meant seven new players arrived at the club this summer.
New boys Nacer Chadli, Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen can all operate in either the number 10 position or on the left flank, where Sigurdsson enjoyed so much success in the second half of last season.
Sunderland were reported to be interested in the Icelandic midfielder, but he decided to stay.
“I wasn’t close to leaving,” Sigurdsson said. ” I came here to play for a big club. When I joined I knew there would be loads of players and competition.
“You can either be unhappy and leave or look at it as a challenge.
“Hopefully you’ll improve and fight for your place as you know if you do the right thing every day things fall your way and I’m hoping that will happen.”
Sigurdsson had two new signings to thank for helping him score his first two goals of the season last Saturday.
Eriksen, a £11.5million signing from Ajax, laid him on for his first and Brazil international Paulinho supplied the pass that led the Icelandic star to kill off the game.
The two strikes against Norwich, and Tottenham’s impressive start to the season, suggest that it may not be so difficult for the seven additions to gel with the rest of the squad.
Written by George Coomber