Chelsea star Juan Mata has hit out at Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp over claims he only moved to Stamford Bridge for the money.
Mata denies he was even in talks with Spurs, completely contradicting the Tottenham manager's claims, let alone snubbed them because they didn't offer him enough money.
Redknapp said recently: "We were in for Mata and close to doing a deal. But he didn't come and Chelsea came in. Obviously they can blow you out of the water wages-wise, and then he changed his mind and they got him. It's all about wages."
But Mata denies those claims.
"That's not strictly true," said Mata. "You can't believe everything you read.
"The Chelsea offer was very important to me and the only one that was worth considering. I just thought it would give me the opportunity to grow as part of a big club.
"Ever since I was a young boy I have been interested in the English league and Chelsea.
"I have always understood the importance of the teams that were fighting for Premier League titles."
