Martin Jol reveals Spurs have left it too late to sign Ajax star

Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Martin Jol believes that the club have left it too late to sign Ajax’s Donny Van de Beek.

The 22-year-old midfielder has been one of the stars of Ajax’s Champions League campaign which saw them reach the semi-final of the competition before being eliminated by Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

It was Van de Beek who scored the only goal of the game during the first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when he calmly slotted beyond Hugo Lloris to give the Dutch side a 1-0 advantage.

Jol, who has been in charge of both Spurs and Ajax feels that the North London side should have made a move for the Ajax academy product in January before his transfer value rose significantly following Ajax’s foray into the knockout stages of European football’s most prestigious club competition.

The player has been linked with a move to Spurs in recent months and now carries a valuation of around £45million (Daily Mail) which could have been a lower amount when he was not a first-team regular at the start of the year.

Jol believes that Tottenham’s recruitment team could have moved quicker, he told Football.London: “Then it comes down to expertise. For example Van de Beek in the winter you could bought him for much less because he wasn’t always in the team.

“That’s what scouts have to do, recognise the players, recognise the market. That is the only thing I can say because after it’s too late and Spurs won’t pay £50m or £60m.”

Opinion

Van de Beek has proven in the Champions League he has the quality to play at the highest level and could be a potential solution to fill Christian Eriksen’s boots if he leaves ahead of the new season.

Even with a fee of around £45million, the Dutchman represents excellent value given his age and potential.

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