I was desperate to join West Ham on deadline day but Tottenham blocked the transfer

Emmanuel Adebayor was moments from signing for West Ham United in 2015, before Daniel Levy allegedly blocked the transfer.

The Togolese striker enjoyed stints with Arsenal and Manchester City before Tottenham Hotspur secured his services in 2012 following a successful loan spell. And while he didn't quite hit the heights at White Hart Lane, he still managed 18 goals in 59 appearances for Spurs after becoming a permanent fixture.

While he was eventually moved on to Crystal Palace in 2016 as a free agent, Adebayor could have provided some return on the £5million fee Spurs paid Manchester City to sign him in an earlier move. That's because West Ham came incredibly close to snapping up Adebayor in January 2015, until then-chairman Levy refused to sign off on the move.

According to Adebayor, around five clubs were interested in taking him out on loan at the time, with Upton Park appealing above any other destination. But as Levy allegedly saw the Hammers as a direct Premier League rival, Adebayor ultimately stayed put.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Adebayor said: "The club decided to send me out on loan, which I was pleased with, and I was lucky enough to have five good clubs [interested]. I decided to go for three, to see which one I should choose, and finally when I chose the one I wanted to go to, unfortunately Mr. Levy was against it because there was a rivalry between Tottenham and the club I wanted to go to. The club decided I should stay, which I am very happy to do. I am here to do my job."

Adebayor also explained that QPR were also interested in signing him on loan for the rest of the season, having already forged a strong connection with Harry Redknapp at Spurs. He added: "Harry Redknapp is a great manager.

"He was the first person who brought me to Tottenham and I really liked him as a manager. But I decided to go to West Ham because of their position in the league. They are fighting, doing everything to finish into the top four.

"And also because I could have played alongside some of their players, like Alex Song, who is like a brother to me. I wanted to go to West Ham instead of QPR."

After moving to Crystal Palace in January 2016 on a short-term deal, Adebayor lasted just six months before he was released. In the years which followed, he turned out for Istanbul Basaksehir, Kayserispor, Olimpia and Semassi, before retiring in March 2023.

At international level, he also scored 32 goals in 87 outings for Togo between 2000 and 2019. It comes as West Ham are set to play host to Spurs at the London Stadium at 5:30pm on Saturday, as Premier League action resumes following an international break.

Graham Potter will expect more of the same from his Hammers side after securing a 3-0 drubbing of Nottingham Forest in their last outing, turning the tide on a 3-0 loss to Sunderland on opening day and a 5-1 thrashing to Chelsea the following week. Spurs, meanwhile, will hope to have ironed out any issues from their last clash in the English top flight with Bournemouth.

After impressing with wins over Burnley and Manchester City, new boss Thomas Frank hit his first stumbling block late last month via a slender 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Cherries. And with Randal Kolo Muani and Xavi Simons waiting in the wings to make their official debuts for their new club, fans may also catch an eagerly-awaited glimpse of fresh talent.

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