Dr Rajpal Brar, a doctor in physical therapy and a sports scientist, has warned Tottenham and other clubs against signing Dani Olmo, revealing that the major injury that the RB Leipzig star picked up last year has a high likelihood or recurrence.
Olmo was sidelined with an injury for almost the entirety of the first half of the 2023-24 season but the attacking midfielder served everyone a reminder of his quality after returning to full fitness.
He finished the season strongly, with eight goals and five assists to his name across all competitions but it has been widely reported over recent weeks that his time at Leipzig could come to an end this summer.
This includes a recent update from Sport BILD (via Sport Witness), which claimed that the attacking midfielder is of interest to the likes of Barcelona and Tottenham.
The report added that while the 26-year-old had even held a meeting with the Barca hierarchy, he is not in a hurry to make a decision on his next destination and might not do that until the end of the Euros.
Injuries to key players were an issue for Tottenham last season
Tottenham’s and Barca’s interest in Olmo was also backed up a couple of weeks ago by Sport (via Sport Witness), who pointed out that Leipzig are demanding that the player’s €60m (£51.5m) release clause be met, which is ‘almost impossible’ for the Catalan club.
Ange Postecoglou saw his side impacted by injuries to key players late last year which took the momentum out of their campaign with James Maddison and Micky van de Ven among those to have had lengthy spells on the sidelines.
Tottenham need to be careful with Dani Olmo ACL recovery
However, Brar believes that these clubs have to exercise caution as the specific shoulder injury that the Spain international picked up last summer is one that carries an increased risk for recurrence.
He told Tottenham News: “Olmo suffered a serious injury in October which kept him out for the rest of the year. It was an acromioclavicular (AC) joint separation, colloquially a separated shoulder.
“The problem with these is there is an increased risk for recurrence and if it does continue to occur, there’s the possibility for surgery needed. So Spurs, or any club signing him this summer, will need to be careful as there is a possibility he could be ruled out for months if things get aggravated.”
Spurs Web Opinion
I am sure the medical departments of Tottenham and other interested clubs would be aware of the risks and if Spurs do decide to push ahead with a move for Olmo, they will likely conduct a thorough evaluation of his shoulder during the medical before signing off on the transfer.
We have seen Manor Solomon as a prime example of a player who we signed, thankfully for nothing, coming in and spending the majority of the season on the treatment table.