Ex-Spurs star makes claim as to why club ended interest in Adama Traore

Former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes the club ended their pursuit of Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore because they were unsure whether he would be a guaranteed starter. 

Spurs reportedly tabled a £30 million bid for the Spain international one day before the transfer deadline which was swiftly rejected by Wolves, who were holding out for a fee in the region of £50 million. 

Traore, 25, still has two years remaining on his current deal at Molineux, therefore the cards remain in Wolves’ hands as of now.

That proved to be enough for Spurs, who did not return with a follow-up offer on deadline day, ending negotiations with the West Midlands side. 

However, ex-Spurs and England man Robinson believes the North London club were not just put off by Wolves’ demands for the winger, but were unsure themselves whether he would be a regular starter in Nuno Espirito Santo’s lineup. 

Spurs head coach Nuno Espirito Santo is currently deploying the likes of Heung-min Son, Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura on the flanks, while youngster Bryan Gil occasionally features there too. 

Speaking on the club’s decision regarding Traore this summer, Robinson told Football Insider: “I think £50million is a lot of money.

“There were a lot of clubs interested in him this summer. There was talk, from what I heard, of Leeds as well.

“At the end of a day if Daniel [Levy] feels like a player is overpriced then he will not do a deal. He certainly will not overpay for a squad player.

“Yes, Traore would have been an excellent addition to the squad but does he start when everybody is fit? I’m not sure.

“I think they weighed up the £50million price against what they’ve got already and decided it was not a deal for them.”

Spurs Web Opinion 

Spurs’ opening offer for Traore was there to test the waters and Wolves’ resolve as to what region their demands would be in.

£50 million does seem like a lot for a player whose statistics are underwhelming on paper, but he still would have been a big threat in this Spurs team – stretching the game for the likes of Son and Harry Kane.

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