Everton “fanatic” Richarlison ridiculed Arnaut Danjuma every day about his last minute decision to join Tottenham Hotspur over the Blues in January. Danjuma was on the verge of being confirmed as a vital recruit who could have strengthened Frank Lampard’s ailing attacking unit amid the crisis that engulfed the club at the start of the year. But when that chaos brought about Lampard’s downfall, Danjuma opted to take advantage of late interest from Spurs. Speaking at the club’s Finch Farm training base ahead of the new season, Danjuma detailed his bond with Richarlison. Asked whether the pair spoke about Everton,
Arnaut Danjuma said: “Of course. I sat next to him in the changing room as well. He is an Everton fanatic. I sat next to him and he reminded me every single day. [He would look at me and say] ‘It is a beautiful club, you know’. I spoke to him about Everton and he had nothing but good words.”
When Danjuma, having returned to parent club Villarreal at the start of the summer, learned of Everton’s renewed interest in him, he did not feel the need to seek Richarlison’s counsel – the groundwork had already been done.
Arnaut Danjuma said: “No, I didn’t have another conversation because the answers would be the same. He obviously had a great time here and he affirmed what I thought about the club anyway. He is in love with the club, to say the least.”
Danjuma’s January U-turn was one of the most dramatic storylines of the winter transfer window. Everton would fail to line up a replacement and the club’s struggle against relegation went down to the final day of the season.
Reflecting on what happened, Danjuma was keen to dismiss some of the claims made about the failed move at the time. Asked whether he held a Blues shirt,
Arnaut Danjuma responded: “No, everything that I have read in the media about me, I have read it as well, so kissing the badge… it was not to that extent. I was keen to join Everton and everyone knows that, the rest was just due to the uncertain circumstances and I had to choose elsewhere to gain certainty, if that makes sense.”
Danjuma makes a compelling argument for his change of position. His switch had been pieced together with the input of Lampard, whose reputation as a player had also convinced several of the club’s summer signings to choose Merseyside over rivals. When Lampard left before the move was finalised, it left him facing uncertainty.
Arnaut Danjuma said: “The opportunity of Tottenham came up at a time when I was supposed to sign, but obviously Everton didn’t have a manager. For me, I was really keen to know who I was going to play under. The player-manager relationship is very important, especially for me. Based on my experience and my past, I think it is very important for me to know who the manager is and what his ideas are. When I was supposed to sign, the club didn’t move forward with Frank and I decided to join Tottenham just because of that little bit of uncertainty. It was a bit difficult for me to join a club without a manager but the feeling has always been the same to be honest with you. I was very keen to join, otherwise I wouldn’t be here today.”
Danjuma’s move for Spurs did not play out as he had hoped, the 26-year-old making just nine Premier League appearances, eight of which were from the bench. He has no regrets about the move, displaying the maturity to accept that, whatever went on to happen, he felt it to be the right decision at the time.
Arnaut Danjuma said: “I don’t think I made the wrong decision because I think it is very difficult for any player to sign for a club that doesn’t have a manager. But then if you arrive somewhere and it doesn’t work out the way you wanted it to work out, do you have a regret? I don’t think so because I still believe I made the right choice. Obviously it didn’t work out the way I wanted it to, so, looking back, could I have made a better choice? Yes, maybe, but I wouldn’t know that – you only know it afterwards, you only stuff like that in hindsight, so no regrets at all. I enjoyed my time at Tottenham as well, it is a beautiful club, the fans really made me feel welcome, I’m not just saying that, I genuinely mean it, the fans gave me a warm welcome and throughout the six months I was there they supported me, so Tottenham was still a beautiful experience.”
The experiences of this year – both in the abandoned move to Merseyside and his time in north London, have led Danjuma to believe Everton are now getting a more rounded person than eight months ago following his arrival on a season-long loan. What happened in January had laid a foundation for Everton to steal a march this summer – one reinforced by the time he spent with Richarlison. There was also one other influential factor – Michael Keane. When the centre back’s rocket sent Goodison wild against Spurs in April, it had a significant impact on the player who could have been receiving the same adulation had he made different decisions.
Arnaut Danjuma said: “I was standing near the corner flag watching the game and I was thinking, at the time I was playing for Tottenham and you have to represent the badge, so I am thinking he is going to hit a good one. Once he strikes the ball and it goes in I just looked over my shoulder and there is 40,000 people literally trying to jump over the fence screaming in my ear. At the time it was a funny experience. It is true though, what they say, it was the first time I had played in Goodison Park so you only know the stories about the stadium. Once you play there – I think any player who plays there will know it is a different stadium. And the fanbase, it is just different.”
