Having failed to make a signing in the last two transfer windows, Tottenham Hotspur look set for a busy summer ahead of the new Premier League season, which begins for Spurs on August 10th.
Tottenham have been strongly linked to both Tanguy N’Dombele and Giovanni Lo Celso of Olympique Lyonnais and Real Betis, respectively (Mirror).
Manager Mauricio Pochettino has already stated that his ambition for Tottenham is to spend like a “big club” this summer.
Speaking with the Telegraph in April, Pochettino went on to say: “We are not in Chigwell any more, we are not at White Hart Lane with 36,000. The magnitude of the club has grown ten times, 100 times, we are in another dimension. We cannot operate in the same way as five years ago.
“To be close to the big clubs, you must think the way that the big clubs think. If you want to compare to Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus or Real Madrid, you can’t think you are Tottenham with 36,000. We need to think like a big club and that is the most important step that we need to make.
When asked whether this will be the biggest summer of his time at Spurs, Pochettino added: “Yes. For me, it’s going to be massive.”
With links to both N’Dombele and Lo Celso it appears that Daniel Levy is willing to back Pochettino this summer. Both players command huge price tags, however, and this may be a stumbling block for Tottenham moving forward.
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The Mirror have reported that an initial bid for Lo Celso of £53 million was rejected, with the Spanish club holding out for more.
Similarly, the figure reported by The Mail for Ndombele was said to be in the region of £70 million. Sky Sports have recently reported that a move for Ndombele to Spurs is close and the club remain confident that Lo Celso is keen on a move to North London (Mirror).
Should deals be done for both players, they would smash the clubs current transfer record of approximately £40 million for Davinson Sanchez in August 2017 (Guardian).
Despite the clubs need for reinforcements, it appears Daniel Levy will not be held to ransom over a price. Spurs are yet to meet the asking price for Lyon’s Ndombele and have refused to cough up the £88.9 million release clause that would prise Lo Celso away from Spain.
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Both players would help to bolster Spurs’ midfield which was found wanting in the latter parts of the season. With the instrumental Moussa Dembele yet to be replaced, and the future of Christian Eriksen yet to be resolved, Spurs certainly need some quality in midfield if they are to challenge for the Premier League and Champions League next season.
It’s certainly promising to be linked with both Lo Celso and Ndombele so early on in the transfer window. However, Levy clearly does not want to overspend this summer and he’s right to question the asking price for both players who have no Premier League experience to their names.
With that being said, both players do represent young, exciting talent. While we are wise to not be overpaying in an inflated market, now is the time (more than ever) to be spending more money than we are used to if we are to sign top players that will help us challenge on all fronts next season.
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