Player at centre of reported Tottenham-Chelsea row sends message after quit bombshell
By Harry Sykes
Midfielder Nya Kirby has sent a message of thanks to Tottenham despite controversially quitting the club to reportedly force a move to Chelsea.
The 17-year-old dropped a bombshell when he left Spurs last summer amid rumours that his head had been turned by their west London rivals.
The Times claim Tottenham blocked the transfer of the academy product to Chelsea and “threatened to report their London rivals for tapping up” Kirby after learning of his plan to move to Stamford Bridge.
It is said that Chelsea “subsequently backed off and cancelled the transfer” to avoid being reported to the Premier League for making an illegal approach.
Kirby was temporarily left without a club but Crystal Palace moved to snap him up and revealed on their official website this week that the teenager has marked his 17th birthday by signing a professional contract with the club.
Despite the controversy generated by his exit from Tottenham, the England Under-16 international was keen to praise those who had helped bring him through the ranks at the club.
He wrote on his personal Instagram account: “A big thank you to the coaches and staff at Spurs and massive respect all those who, over the years, gave me their time and help.”
Kirby added a similar message on Twitter after his arrival at Palace was confirmed.
The deal has been agreed after the creative midfielder had already made five appearances for Palace’s development side this season.
The row further increases the bad blood between historically bitter rivals Tottenham and Chelsea.
Spurs recently questioned the dual role of Chelsea coach Steve Holland in the senior England set-up amid fears he could have access to information about their players’ fitness and medical records.
The London big hitters are also locked in a battle to win this season’s Premier League title.
Chelsea are in pole position after opening up a nine-point lead over second-placed Tottenham, who travel to Liverpool on Saturday.
Antonio Conte’s side are away to Burnley on Sunday afternoon.
In other Tottenham news, Daniel Levy has lined up the next Spurs arrival as the deal is all but done.
We’ve launched an << EXCLUSIVE TRANSFER WINDOW NEWS FEED>>. ‘Like Us’ on Facebook by clicking here if you want 24/7 updates on all Tottenham transfer news