[ad_pod ]
This is a remarkably important summer for Tottenham Hotspur.
Fresh from finishing fourth in the Premier League and reaching the Champions League final, a rebuild is needed under Mauricio Pochettino.
The Guardian have reported that the Spurs boss is currently in Barcelona, having told chairman Daniel Levy of the players he wishes to be signed this summer, as the club look to break their self-imposed transfer duck that stretches back to January 2018.
In that report, Lyon’s Tanguy Ndombele, Ajax’s Donny van de Beek, Nicolo Zaniolo of Roma and Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon are all touted as targets. Giovani Lo Celso, of Real Betis, has been linked separately.
One feels, then, that Pochettino is being ambitious and that, on one hand, is to be understood. Spurs reached the final of Europe’s elite club competition and actually outplayed Liverpool in Madrid, though they were blunt and unable to score. A 2-0 defeat was perhaps harsh but Jurgen Klopp’s men boasted superior firepower and used it effectively.
Yet, on the other hand, that was a potentially once-in-a-lifetime chance. Spurs have never before reached the Champions League final and their progression was not built on investment in the squad; VAR, a healthy dose of luck and Lucas Moura’s genuine brilliance all played their part. Spurs cannot now buy the best players in the world just because of one cup run.
And it has become apparent that Tottenham will need to break their transfer record this summer if they are to secure the players they want, perhaps twice over.
Ndombele, per a separate Guardian report, is valued at €75m (£66.9m). Lo Celso has a €100m (£89.2m) release clause. Fulham have even demanded £40m for Sessegnon.
That money isn’t necessarily readily available, particularly if Christian Eriksen ends up staying at the club. He had been linked with Real Madrid but they now appear likely to instead prioritise Paul Pogba of Manchester United and that could see Spurs lose out on around £100m.
Now, one thing that Spurs fans seem to love to do is bash Daniel Levy, especially when it comes to transfers. The club chooses to operate without a Director of Football and, as a result, it is the chairman who does the negotiating. He is the man at which the stones are thrown if deals don’t get done.
And yet, this summer, it will not be his fault. Examine the list again: Ndombele is one of the best midfielders in Europe; Van de Beek enjoyed a breakout year at Ajax and was a standout player in one of the best young teams the Champions League has ever seen; Zaniolo is 19 and Roma’s next great hope; Sessegnon is the jewel in Fulham’s crown.
It is all very well asking for these players but there is no guarantee. Ndombele, for example, has also been linked with the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United.
All four of those clubs have significantly better resources than a Tottenham side that have just opened a £1bn stadium.
It must be said that signing all four is unlikely. It is perhaps more logical to suggest that Pochettino has touted Van de Beek and Zaniolo as potential back-ups to Ndombele.
But this still feels incredibly risky and ambitious.
Spurs tend to operate best when they are working away from the marquee deals. Look at the likes of Dele Alli, Son Heung-Min and Toby Alderweireld. All three have played key roles in the club’s progression and yet they arrived from MK Dons, Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid respectively. The other main suitors for Alderweireld were Southampton.
Pochettino perhaps believes that Spurs have earned the right to work to a higher level now and he could well be right. Ndombele has expressed his openness to a move to the club.
But this is a list unlike any Levy has been handed before by Pochettino. He will surely do his best and he will surely attempt to bring in as many of the players Pochettino wants as he can.
Yet if he fails, all of the blame cannot be apportioned to the chairman. Pochettino may well have been too ambitious, and he will deserve an equal share of the flak if this summer goes wrong.