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Ola Aina, a defender for the Super Eagles, revealed that he almost signed with Tottenham Hotspur during his youth, but he and his father ended up waiting for nearly five hours on the day they were supposed to finalize the contract, ultimately causing them to leave out of frustration.The 28-year-old right-back for Nottingham Forest mentioned that Tottenham's handling of his potential signing greatly discouraged him, leading him to instead join Chelsea's academy.
In an appearance on the 90s Baby Show, Aina recounted the frustrating experience that could have significantly changed the trajectory of his career.
"I was training with Spurs, and after some time, they told me that I would be signing on a particular day after training," Aina remembered.
"When the day arrived, my dad and I walked into an office and were instructed to take a seat. We waited for one hour, then two, and eventually nearly five hours. I was complaining to my dad about being hungry, and he suggested I go back into the office. However, we finally lost our patience and decided to leave. They never communicated anything further to us."
Following his disappointment with Tottenham, Aina entered Chelsea’s academy in 2013, working his way up the ranks. Nevertheless, he found it challenging to make a notable impact in the first team at Stamford Bridge.
Aina then had loan spells at Hull City and Torino before being transferred to the Italian club by Chelsea in 2019.
He subsequently bounced between playing for Torino and Fulham before settling at Nottingham Forest last year, where he became a key player at the City Ground after a series of impressive performances last season, earning him a nomination for the Premier League Team of The Season.
As Nottingham Forest prepares for European competition next season, the Super Eagles star is set to face new challenges ahead.
The Tricky Trees finished seventh in the Premier League and will participate in the UEFA Europa League after Crystal Palace, the FA Cup winners, were relegated to the Conference League due to UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.
Having never competed in the Europa League before, Aina is excited to seize the opportunity to showcase his talent on the continental stage as Forest begins their European adventure.
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