Ola Aina reveals how he nearly ended up at Tottenham instead of Chelsea
Nottingham Forest star Ola Aina has revealed how his dad forced him to have a trial with the Tottenham academy before he eventually joined Chelsea.
A number of Forest players have seen their reputation skyrocket this season as Nuno Espirito Santo’s men look on course to securing Champions League qualification.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 | LiverpoolLiverpool | 29 | 21 | 7 | 1 | 69 | 27 | 42 | 70 |
| 2 | ArsenalArsenal | 29 | 16 | 10 | 3 | 53 | 24 | 29 | 58 |
| 3 | Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 29 | 16 | 6 | 7 | 49 | 35 | 14 | 54 |
| 4 | ChelseaChelsea | 29 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 53 | 37 | 16 | 49 |
One of those is undoubtedly Ola Aina, who has been one of the best right-backs on show across the English top-flight season.
Aina will undoubtedly attract some attention from big clubs this summer on the back of his impressive displays at City Ground, but the 28-year-old has now revealed how close to came to joining the Tottenham Hotspur academy.
Ola Aina was forced to go to Tottenham by his father
Aina came through the ranks of the Chelsea academy in Cobham, and he had a spell in Serie A with Torino before eventually signing for Forest in 2022.
The right-back has seen his stock rise substantially over the past 18 months, and he has now explained that his father actually forced him to have a trial at Spurs before he joined the West London club.
Aina told The Inside Scoop podcast: “Dad looked at where Chelsea was and said ‘It’s too far’. He told me straight. I remember I was in the kitchen. He said ‘You are going to Tottenham’.
“And I asked him, ‘Is it because you support Tottenham?’ He was like ‘yeah, but also Cobham is too far. Can’t be driving and back’. And I was upset bro.
“So, we went to Spurs. There is a mad story about that as well (his time at Tottenham) and then we ended up going to Chelsea, and obviously, the rest is history.”
Spurs academy coaches have let one slip
It is clear that the Spurs academy coaches made a mistake by not hanging on to Aina, given the kind of player he has developed into.
However, the Forest man was evidently a late bloomer whose talent was not obvious at a young age, which is demonstrated by the fact that he only ever made three senior appearances for Chelsea.
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