I didn't realise how naive I was to join Tottenham - I became a victim of one Chelsea boss

Gus Poyet admitted that he was "naive" to have made the switch from Chelsea to Tottenham. He claims his departure was a consequence of Claudio Ranieri's tenure at Stamford Bridge.

Poyet spent four successful years with the Blues, winning numerous domestic cups and a European trophy in his first season. He has taken time to reflect on his controversial move between the two London clubs.

The historic rivalry between Spurs and Chelsea, which Poyet confesses he was oblivious to at the time of his transfer, will be reignited this Saturday when they face off in the Premier League at 5.30pm.

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During his time at Stamford Bridge, the Uruguayan quickly became a crowd favourite, netting 49 goals and providing 16 assists in 144 appearances. However, his decision to cross the London divide and join Tottenham in 2001 left a sour taste.

Chelsea, who had signed Poyet on a free transfer, accepted nearly £3million from Tottenham for the midfielder's services in the summer of 2001. This coincided with Ranieri's settling-in period in London, a time when the Italian faced backlash for selling popular players, including Dennis Wise.

In a 2012 interview with The Standard, Poyet criticised his former boss, stating that his move across London was not within his control. He said: "I still have a strong feeling for them. I played in a very good Chelsea team and for most of the time we were in control of games.

"We won very good trophies in England and in Europe and it was one of the best times in my career. I took a lot of stick from the Chelsea supporters for joining Tottenham, but I had to stay in London for the sake of my childrens' education.

"I was a victim of Claudio Ranieri's changes. I had a year left on my contract and was still very fit to play, but the manager thought I couldn't play week in, week out. The same thing happened to Dennis Wise and he had been the captain for 11 years."

Poyet went on to acknowledge his inexperience regarding the animosity between Spurs and Chelsea, adding: "I knew I was joining a rival club but I didn't view it in those terms.

"I asked myself what the great, great rivalries are in London and I would say it's Tottenham-Arsenal. Maybe people might now add Tottenham-Chelsea, but for me it is not up there with Arsenal.

"So I didn't have that pressure from my side, although I realised afterwards because of the reaction from the Chelsea supporters who asked how it was possible that I was coming to Spurs and how I was betraying them."

Last year, Poyet emphasised his ignorance about the hostility between the two London clubs, telling Full Circle with Bet365: "I will be honest, I was very naive, very naive. I swear by it, it isn't a lie, I had no idea how close they were and all the reactions I would get from Chelsea supporters.

"My explanation is a simple one, because when I played for Chelsea, the two teams that I wanted to beat were Arsenal and Man United. They were the ones winning the league, I wasn't even thinking about Spurs with respect to them. There was even more of a fight against Leeds because of the previous history between the teams, more than when Chelsea played Spurs."

Poyet added: "When I was at Chelsea, it was during a time when we were beating Spurs often enough that no one made a big deal about it and it just seemed like a normal game. I had a couple of offers from some teams out of the country and another option being at Spurs, and I wanted to stay in London.

"So then I moved, and Glenn Hoddle was a big part of that, but after the news had broken it was crazy. I didn't know what I had done, it was madness. It was only then that I realised, but the truth was that I was very naive.

"I didn't realise it would be so dramatic, but now I'm on the other side with a team that didn't beat Chelsea for however long. As much as I loved Chelsea, my character meant I had to do everything in my power to win for Spurs now.

"The first couple of games against Chelsea, we lost, but we eventually beat them on the third attempt I think. It was a strange night, but it was important as a professional."