Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Benjamin Stambouli says he couldn't say no to Mauricio Pochettino's call.
The Frenchman was initially linked with a possible move to Swansea City or Fiorentina in the Italian Serie A but opted to sign for Spurs on the last day of the summer transfer window.
"You can't refuse a club like Tottenham. I didn't hesitate," Stambouli told L'Equipe.
"Going abroad was a choice for my personal life. I wanted to discover a new football, another culture.
"When you are born in Marseille, playing there is always difficult. Moreover, I didn't have any guarantee to play in my best position as a midfielder."
The 24-year-old has revealed that he was very close to staying at Olympique Marseille before Spurs made an official offer.
"You can't refuse a club like Tottenham. I didn't hesitate," the midfielder said.
"But Marseille made me think a lot. It was not the right moment to go there.
"With Swansea, it was a good opening door to the Premier League, Fiorentina are a competitive team and Marseille are one of the best French teams, so I didn't know what to do.
"It was very complex. And then Tottenham came along."
