“When I joined Corinthians, I told myself, ‘I’ll win the Club World Cup and then I’ll return,’” he shared.
“Did I have chances to go back to Europe? Yes, many, but Corinthians wasn’t willing to sell or negotiate. The last offer came from Tottenham, which included a loan with an option to buy.”
“I took that proposal to Edu Gaspar, who is now Arsenal’s director, and asked him, ‘Can you help me with this?’ His response brought me to tears.”
Peru international Paolo Guerrero expressed his deep emotions regarding how Edu Gaspar’s response led to his unsuccessful transfer to Tottenham Hotspur.
“When I arrived at Corinthians, I said to myself: ‘I win the Club World Cup and I’ll go back’,” he said. “Did I have opportunities to return to Europe? Many, but Corinthians didn’t want to sell me or didn’t want to negotiate. The last offer came from Tottenham, which was a loan-purchase [option].”
Peru international Paolo Guerrero has discussed his unsuccessful transfer to Tottenham Hotspur.
At 40 years old, Guerrero currently plays for Peruvian club Alianza Lima. In a conversation with DyT’s Diego Rebagliati and Talía Azcárate, he reflected on his lengthy career and revealed Tottenham’s interest, as reported by Infobae.
Tottenham approached Guerrero during his time at Corinthians from 2012 to 2015. He won the FIFA Club World Cup with the Brazilian team in 2021, scoring the decisive goal against Chelsea in the final.
Guerrero joined Corinthians in 2012 after spending 12 years in Germany with Bayern Munich and Hamburger SV. He decided to leave Corinthians in January 2013 and was eager to join the north London club. At that time, Edu Gaspar, now Arsenal’s technical director, was in charge at Corinthians. Guerrero presented Tottenham’s offer to him, but it was ultimately rejected.
“When I arrived at Corinthians, I told myself: ‘I’ll win the Club World Cup and then I’ll go back to Europe,’” he shared.
“Did I have chances to return to Europe? Absolutely, but Corinthians didn’t want to sell me or negotiate. The last offer came from Tottenham, which included a loan with an option to buy.”
He approached Edu Gaspar with the proposal, but Gaspar responded, “Do you want me to lose my job, Paolo? Rest assured, you’ll be the highest-paid player in South America here.”
Guerrero later revealed that the renewal proposal from Corinthians did not meet his expectations.
“They didn’t follow through with their offer. I didn’t renew with Corinthians because I felt the proposal didn’t reflect my worth. I sensed they were undervaluing me because I was Peruvian. That’s when other offers, like from Flamengo, came in, and I decided to leave,” Guerrero explained.
The experienced striker has not returned to Europe since leaving Hamburger SV over ten years ago.
