Alvaro Morata was reportedly at one stage interested in a move to Tottenham Hotspur, but did not believe he would get regular game time at the club because of Harry Kane's presence. Alexander Hassenstein / Bongarts / Getty Images
Alvaro Morata was reportedly at one stage interested in a move to Tottenham Hotspur, but did not believe he would get regular game time at the club because of Harry Kane's presence. Alexander HassenstShow more

Pochettino: Morata went to Chelsea over Tottenham as he feared Kane



Mauricio Pochettino claims Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata turned down the chance of a move to Tottenham - because he feared being back-up to Harry Kane.

Morata joined the Premier League champions this summer from Real Madrid for £58 million (Dh281.2m), two years after Pochettino tried to tempt the player to Spurs.

However, the Spain international apparently rejected the move because of the presence of Kane at White Hart Lane.

Read more

Richard Jolly: Morata v Hernandez: The men who were second fiddle at Real Madrid

Pochettino, quoted by several newspapers, said: "Morata talked about myself, in the media he said 'Mauricio called me'. That was two years ago or more.

"He said to me: 'Why do you want me if you have Harry Kane? You know, if you go to try to sign a striker, they will say: 'eh gaffer, you want me for what? To be on the bench? I can't compete with Harry Kane or Hugo Lloris or different players.'

"It's so difficult to convince good players to come and then be on the bench. Then the problems start."

Kane has been the Premier League's leading goalscorer for the last two seasons and Chelsea boss Antonio Conte last week said if there was one striker he could sign it would be the 24-year-old England international, who he described as "a complete player".

A%20QUIET%20PLACE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lupita%20Nyong'o%2C%20Joseph%20Quinn%2C%20Djimon%20Hounsou%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMichael%20Sarnoski%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

French Touch

Carla Bruni

(Verve)

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The specs

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)

Where to buy art books in the UAE

There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.

In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show. 

In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.

In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4

Middle East Today

The must read newsletter for the region

      By signing up, I agree to The National's privacy policy
      Middle East Today