Has the sun gone to their heads? Paper makes claims about wingers in and out

The Sun is claiming that Spurs are looking to buy Zaha for £45 million. The piece goes on to state that Crystal Palace believe they are in a strong position having turned down an offer of £30 million from Chelsea. It further claims that Tottenham are looking to offload some squad members, including Serge Aurier and Lucas Moura, whom the paper describes as “fringe players”. They compare Zaha with Grealish and look favourably on Zaha if the fees were similar.

Let’s unpick this a little.

First, I think we would all be astonished if the club were thinking of selling Lucas. He had little playing time last season, but looked promising, sharp and incisive when he did play. He scored two in the opening International Champions Cup game when Spurs beat Roma 4-1. To move onwards and upwards we desperately need additional depth of creativity in that final third. If Eriksen and Deele are not fully on their games, Lamela and Sissoko have yet to show they can step up. Lucas has not yet had proper opportunity. To move him on so quickly, would be astonishing, especially as he seems to have become a fans’ favourite in a very short time.

In regard to Grealish, I would be very surprised if Levy and Pochettino would sanction more than about half the Sun’s mooted £40 million. He is a prospect, not a player to bank on helping take us to the next level in the short term. The thing is, should we really rate Zaha much more highly? Despite all the hype his record of goals and assists is not that fantastic. He scores around one goal per four games, not bad for an attacking midfielder, but his assists dropped hugely last season. Of course, that may be connected to the team rather than just him. There are other players out there I would rather have.

I would be very concerned about Lucas moving on, but I think it is just a story. Aurier has been inconsistent and a liability at times. Maybe adjusting to the PL takes time. Not sure about this one.

Spurs fans, what do you think?