Serge Aurier Wanted to Leave Tottenham During Summer Transfer Window

Tottenham Hotspur full-back Serge Aurier has revealed he wanted to leave the club in the summer, and he believes he has no competition at his position, despite making no appearances yet this season.

The Ivory Coast international was asked about the right-back competition by an interviewer from Bal des Productions (h/t Goal), and he said the club's decision not to let him leave was a sign they trust him:

"What competition? There isn't any.

"I had decided to leave, which was fine for me. Finally, a lot of things came into account and I could not leave.

"It also proves the club trusts me on many points. We will see how this season progresses. Now the transfer window is over and we must focus on the upcoming season."

Sportswriter Andrew Gaffney wasn't convinced by the response, even if he thinks the former Paris Saint-Germain defender could still come good for the club:

Aurier is stuck behind Kyle Walker-Peters in the pecking order, and when the talent missed out on the North London derby against Arsenal due to injury, manager Mauricio Pochettino opted to play centre-back Davinson Sanchez out of position at right-back.

Sanchez has returned from the international break with a knock, but Walker-Peters could be in line to reclaim his spot:

The 26-year-old Aurier made just six Premier League starts in the 2018-19 season after making 16 the season prior. A path to more playing time opened up when Kieran Trippier left for Atletico Madrid this summer, but so far, Aurier has been unable to capitalise, despite injuries to Walker-Peters and Juan Foyth.

The former is a 22-year-old prospect Spurs fans have been tracking for years, and he has been groomed as the starter of the future for some time now. If he's at full health, he's likely to see the bulk of the minutes moving forward.

Aurier previously played for Les Parisiens and was a standout for Ivory Coast at the 2014 World Cup. He never established himself as a top starter in Paris and wore out his welcome after he insulted multiple team-mates and manager Laurent Blanc, including using anti-gay language, in a video on social media.