Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol has warned Tottenham to stay away from a deal for Atletico Madrid winger Thomas Lemar and has questioned the Frenchman’s quality.
Lemar move to Atleti in a deal said to be worth around £60million in the summer of 2018 (The Express) but he has failed to live up to expectations since moving to the Spanish capital.
In that time the French international has scored just two league goals and provided three assists for Atleti and has failed to establish himself as a first team starter (transfermarkt).
The Express report that the Spanish giants are prepared to let the 24-year-old leave in January if their asking price is met.
However, Nicol who works as a pundit for ESPN FC, insisted that it would be a terrible miscalculation for Spurs to sign Lemar as there was still a major question mark over whether he was good enough to play for a top team.
Speaking to ESPN FC, Nicol said: “What this guy has shown at Atleti, you wouldn’t buy him in a heartbeat. He’s got no goals and no assists? [this season].
“What was it, 90 million? [euros paid for him]. Right now, regardless of the currency, who is going to part with any money for him?
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“Unless you can get him for 20 million… [don’t buy him]. Are Atleti really going to turn around after spending that amount of money on him 18 months ago and sell him for 20 million? I don’t think so.”
Spurs Web Opinion
While I was a huge fan of Lemar during his time in Monaco and was desperate for the club to bring him in a couple of years ago, it is clear that he has gone backwards since. While we could certainly do with adding another winger/wide-forward to the squad, Lemar would surely be a massive gamble after his Atletico experience.
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