A trio of The Athletic journalists have debated who Tottenham Hotspur should have signed in the 2017, 2018, and 2019 summer transfer windows, with three Premier League players named, via The View From The Lane podcast (March 3rd, 33:58).
What’s the word?
Spurs, of course, enjoyed a highly successful 2016/17 season, finishing second in the Premier League and going the entire season unbeaten at White Hart Lane.
They bought six first-team players in the transfer window ahead of the 2017/18 campaign, bringing in Davinson Sanchez from Ajax, Serge Aurier from PSG, Fernando Llorente from Swansea City, Juan Foyth from Estudiantes, and Paulo Gazzaniga from Southampton; they bought Lucas Moura in January.
In 2018/19, they kept their powder dry, failing to buy a single player in the summer transfer window, while they invested heavily in 19/20, buying Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon, Ryan Sessegnon from Fulham, Jack Clarke from Leeds United, and striking an initial loan deal for Real Betis’ Giovani Lo Celso. That deal was made permanent in January, while Steven Bergwijn and Gedson Fernandes were also signed.
Money talks: How much did Levy pay for each of these Spurs stars?
James Maw, Jack Pitt-Brooke, and Charlie Eccleshare have debated the players who could have helped them “build on their progress”, though, with Leicester City’s Ricardo Pereira and James Maddison, and Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish all mentioned.
Maw said: “Pereira.”
Pitt-Brooke replied: “Pereira and Grealish would have been fantastic.”
Eccleshare claimed that Spurs should have signed “someone like James Maddison”, with Pitt-Brooke saying that the Foxes playmaker “would have been great.”
Interested in all three
Frustratingly for Spurs fans, they were interested in all three.
The Telegraph reported in 2018 that they had tabled a bid of £25m for Grealish, though it came too late to take advantage of Villa’s financial turmoil; their new owners had the financial muscle to reject the offer.
As far back as 2016, The London Evening Standard reported that Spurs were interested in Maddison while he was at Coventry City prior to his move to Norwich City. They decided against making a move due to his £7m asking price.
In 2017, prior to the departure of Kyle Walker to Manchester City, The Telegraph claimed that Pereira had been identified as their top target to replace the England international, while he was at Porto. He would have cost £20m.
Instead, of course, Spurs did a deal for Aurier, bringing him in from PSG for a fee of £23m.
Their line-up would look remarkably different now had all three deals been completed. Instead, they are all enjoying life in the Premier League with their respective clubs, with Spurs’ nose pressed up against the glass.
Meanwhile, Spurs have been slammed for getting into a mess!
