Tottenham Hotspur have enjoyed a successful last few years under Mauricio Pochettino, but it is fair to say that their style of football has changed a little recently.
Spurs used to rely heavily on width and pace, with the likes of Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale, or even Danny Rose and Kyle Walker bombing down the flanks.
The Lilywhites now seem to take a more measured approach with their attacks, with slick passing from the likes of Eriksen and Alli to unlock a defence.
Even the wingers Spurs do have in their locker tend to drift inside or get in behind as second strikers, namely Heung Min Son and Lucas Moura.
It would therefore not be surprising if Spurs were to invest in some young out-and-out wingers this summer.
In recent weeks, Tottenham have been linked with a move for Leeds United’s Jack Clarke, but a fee has yet to be agreed (Yorkshire Evening Post).
It is said that Leeds want £20m, but Spurs are unwilling to stump up that kind of cash (Mirror).
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So, how could a deal still happen? Leeds Live interviewed Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold from Football London to find out.
Gold believes that Daniel Levy will attempt to pay the fee down the line, depending on how Clarke develops, rather than paying a flat sum up front.
He also claims that Spurs could loan Clarke back to Leeds as a sweetener, but only if the majority of the fee was paid in add-ons.
Gold said: ‘For a player like Clarke, Spurs would expect as much as possible to be loaded on top in future add-ons rather than an up-front fee, because he’s a teenager who hasn’t done too much yet in the grand scheme of things. Spurs once had a habit of picking up young bargains from Leeds as they did with Danny Rose and Aaron Lennon before him and if the valuation is £12m as reported then the north London outfit will try to ensure that much of that is to be paid down the line in line with how he develops.
‘It depends on that price tag. If they are paying most of it up front then it’s a fair whack for a team like Tottenham to shell out on a player that they’re going to send out again straight away.
‘Dele Alli was loaned back to MK Dons for six months after signing but he cost £5m and was a regular for the League One side. If Spurs can sort a deal that is a similar amount up front with the rest in add-ons then the sweetener for Leeds might be to have Clark back for the season to develop under Bielsa and help them in their quest to return to the Premier League.’
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