Moussa Sissoko has rejected deadline-day claims that he turned down a move to Everton at the last minute in order to push through a switch to Tottenham Hotspur.
The France international looked poised to join the Toffees from Newcastle United in a £30m deal on Wednesday night, before surprising many and penning a five-year deal at White Hart Lane.
Sissoko insists that Spurs were the only side he was interested in joining, having been linked with the Newcastle exit all summer, and he is now looking forward to ticking off another career achievement when competing in club football's biggest competition this season.
"I never went to Everton," he told L'Equipe. "It's funny. I was watching TV, and I saw that a deal had been done with Everton and that I had signed for them. But I was in London, waiting to sign my contract [with Spurs]. The main thing is that I signed for the club I wanted to join.
"Of course I would have liked it to have happened earlier, but now it's done. I hope to have a good season and I'm happy to be able to play in the Champions League. I have played at a World Cup and a Euro. I was only missing playing for the cup with the big ears.
"It's been the longest month of my career. It's true that Wednesday was rather stressful, t was completed in the final hours. But the main thing is that it's done, that my transfer to Tottenham went through. I have the opportunity to make another step up. I hope it will go well for me. In any case, I'm very happy and relieved. There were a lot of emotions."
Sissoko was introduced as a substitute in France's 3-1 win over Italy in Thursday night's international friendly meeting.
