It has been a remarkably quiet summer so far at Tottenham Hotspur with Mauricio Pochettino not bringing in a single new face so far. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has been criticised in the past for not investing enough in the club’s squad to help take them to the next level.
The biggest piece of transfer activity to take place at White Hart Lane this summer was the departure of right-back Kyle Walker to Premier League rivals Manchester City for a fee of around £53 million. Despite the fact that this is a significant fee, Tottenham do not want to be selling their star assets to their competition ahead of the upcoming campaign.
However, there is still time for Levy to prove his doubters wrong and get his wallet out this summer. Two players the club have been linked with recently are Riyad Mahrez of Leicester City and Ross Barkley of Everton. We take a look at why Tottenham will ‘win’ the transfer window if they sign the duo.
Mahrez already shown he can produce
The 26-year-old winger has already proven that he can produce quality performances in the top flight during his time at Leicester. He played a key role in Leicester’s Premier League winning campaign by scoring 17 goals in 37 appearances. He did not perform as well last season but still scored six goals in 36 appearances.
His best performances last season came in the UEFA Champions League where he scored four goals in nine appearances for the Foxes. He may be tempted by a move to Tottenham due to getting a taste of European football last season at Leicester. He could continue to play in Europe at Spurs as well as being guaranteed regular first team football.
Barkley needs a new lease of life
If Tottenham were able to land the signature of the 23-year-old English midfielder this summer, he could prove to be a very astute addition to Pochettino’s squad. There is no doubt that Barkley has underachieved at Everton in recent years and signing him would come with an element of risk. However, on his day, he can be one of the most exciting midfielders in the top flight.
Barkley’s position as an Everton player looks largely untenable after regular fall-outs with Toffees boss Ronald Koeman and a move to Spurs would be suitable for both parties. It would give Barkley a chance to get his career firmly back on track in the top flight.
Could be available at a good price
It looks highly unlikely that either Mahrez or Barkley will still be at their retrospective clubs by the time the transfer windows slams shut. They have both been linked with a number of different clubs throughout this summer and it now appears that both Leicester and Everton are just looking to offload both of them.
Mahrez’s head appears to have been swayed by interest from clubs who can offer him European football again next season. Leicester are reportedly looking for a fee of around £40 million to land his signature.
No need to splash the cash
If Spurs were able to land both Mahrez and Barkley for a fee of around £40 million and £30 million respectively, it would represent good business. Both have proven in the past that they can perform in the top flight and both players are at a good age with the potential to improve even further.
It is refreshing to see a club competing at the top of the Premier League not spending enormous amounts of money.
Spurs have built a good squad of young talented players and are likely to be right up there competing at the top of the league again next season, especially if they are able to land this talented duo.
Er hold on yes we could have signed Dembele but Fulham wanted him back for the rest of the season and without the benefit of hindsight why should we have done that ? I for one thought get lost Fulham – yes been proved wrong but hindsight is a wonderful thing
I think that is right sadly. Levy is great for the infrastructure of the club but doesn’t make timely and appropriate acquisitions to push the club on. They need investors who are primarily concerned with winning!
There is no way Levy would spend £70 million. On these two players.
Remember, last year he could have bought Dembele for less than £10 million and just look at what he’s worth now.
Spurs recent record of leaving it late in the market is Sissoko and what a waste of money he turned out to be. So, I cannot see him spending Big again and getting caught with his trousers down.
Best thing for Spurs is get rid of Levy and have a knew consortium who really want to help improve the team and give Mr Pochetino a helping hand. Not someone who keeps saying no.!
You don’t know what your talking about.Levy has put together with Poch the best starting eleven in the league for a grand total of £84m.Last season we had the best defence and the best attack in the premier league and come the start of next season if we have only lost Walker for £50m then it will still be OK.Everyday we read about our players being linked to other clubs Dier,Eriksen,Alli,Alderweirld,Kane,Rose ,so we must be getting something right and the one reason we might lose them is wages,but Spurs currently pay a higher percentage of their turnover on wages than the other big clubs and moving into the new stadium will help them.Levy is a top man and I for one am glad he runs Tottenham.COYS