Tottenham broke club-record to sign Ukraine international who ignored Arsenal star’s advice
Tottenham will have Sergei Rebrov to thank for not warning his Ukrainian countryman Illia Zabarnyi against following in his footsteps.
Rebrov could have been forgiven for harbouring bitterness towards Spurs after a miserable spell at the club at the turn of the century.
The 51-year-old arrived in north London with the same lofty tag that his fellow Ukrainian Zabarnyi has now at Bournemouth.
Rebrov’s £11million move from Dynamo Kyiv in 2000 was supposed to represent a new era for Spurs in the new millennium.
His transfer smashed Tottenham’s previous record fee of £6m that had been spent on Les Ferdinand three years prior.
Lord Alan Sugar had only spent £23m in total on new players in the 28 months from January 1998 until Rebrov’s move in May 2000.
The 75-cap forward was one of the hottest properties in Europe, having attracted serious interest from Arsenal and Rangers.
But speaking after signing a five-year contract, Rebrov said of Tottenham: “They managed to find a common language with me.
“I am looking forward to playing in England. I like it better than Italian football, although I can’t explain why.
“We (my wife and I) were all set to go to Glasgow to have a look around, but there was a problem with the transfer and we couldn’t complete the deal.
“Arsenal didn’t do a deal because they are playing in the UEFA Cup and all their transfer policies will be decided after the Cup final.”
Rebrov, alongside striker partner Andriy Shevchenko, had helped establish Dynamo Kyiv as a potent force in European football.
While the latter found a perfect home in Milan, many felt, even at the time, that Tottenham was not the right club for Rebrov.
Including from his fellow Ukrainian international Oleg Luzhny at Arsenal, who said he should ‘join a bigger and better club’.
The BBC World Service interviewed top Ukrainian journalist Fidel Pavlenko, who stated: “In Ukraine, most people think Rebrov is a better goalscorer than Shevchenko.
“Frankly it’s a step down,” Pavlenko added. “Back in Ukraine people think he deserved something bigger. He’s been involved in European football for the past seven or eight years and now he’s ended up at Spurs.”
Rebrov ignored all advice to pen a £25,000-a-week deal, but claimed four years later that the move wasn’t his decision.
“In Ukraine, it’s a very different situation than in England. You haven’t a choice – the chairman of the club has a choice,” he told the Guardian.
“Arsenal were making some offers, but Tottenham gave more, and the chairman of Kiev chose Tottenham. That’s it, that’s why I came.”
Rebrov endured a slow start to life in England, scoring nine times in as many appearances (29) that Shevchenko had goals in his debut Serie A season.
One of his first actions was to emulate The Apprentice star by firing manager Graham and replacing him with Glenn Hoddle.
First team opportunities for Rebrov dried up, and even an 18-month loan spell with Fenerbahce failed to repair his damaged reputation.
He managed just four goals in 38 appearances for the Turkish giants, and he was shipped out to West Ham in the Championship in 2004.
