so we’re told.
At the beginning of this summer’s transfer window we were told there was three main targets that the Spurs “manager” wanted and by the end of the window they’re all wearing Spurs shirts.
All those windows with nothing coming in, this is a somewhat better window. Yes, they could have done the deals earlier for the last two that came in on transfer deadline day, just one day before the season kicks-off, two days before Spurs start their campaign – at home for once – against newly promoted Villa. But you can’t have everything.
Tanguy Ndombele was done earlier and looked the part during pre-season. Exactly what was missing from Spurs once Dembele was flogged to China, with added extra in that final third. Goals and assists rather than sideways passes.
Ryan Sessegnon has been a long term target. They were trying for him when he got Fulham into the Premier League, that promotion put the kibosh on it but their relegation meant it was back on again. £25m made up of cash and Josh Onomah seems a decent deal for a young player of his abilities. He might not have had the best of times in the top flight last season but his club didn’t exactly flourish, too many new faces. You feel he’s a kid that Poch can get something out of. Will he be the left-back? Onomah wasn’t going anywhere at the club, without the Europa League to play in he was just loan fodder and then makeweight, shame but there you go.
Giovani Lo Celso was apparently another first choice for Poch. His countryman comes in on a “loan” from Real Betis. A bit of Levynomics? Pay a huge loan fee which is then deducted from the final price but not included in the cost of the transfer when Betis have to pay the sell-on fee to his previous club PSG.
He’s another central attacking midfielder, which again has been lacking. It’s also competition for Eriksen which really has been lacking. The Dane has cruised through large sections of the last couple of seasons, knowing there was no real direct competition for his place. So now he has it along with the knowledge that nobody was really interested in him so far this summer. After issuing a come and get me plea after the Champions League final the stampede was… non existent. Now maybe all the big clubs are waiting until the English window is closed, while theirs remains open until September and think they can get him on the cheap. Or they’re waiting until the end of the year and try and get him on a free. As it is no one wanted to spend money on him and most looked and bought elsewhere.
Now will we get the moping Eriksen, pissed of he didn’t get his big move or maybe this and the competition in the squad could work to get the best out of Eriksen. We all know what a talent he can be when he looks bothered but that seemed a rarer occurrence at times, after he got Denmark through to the World Cup finals, he completely disappeared in plain sight. And over the last four seasons he’s provided more assists than anyone in the league.
The squad looks a lot healthier than before. More competition for each place. More back up if they have the horrendous list of injuries incurred last season. Toby is still there. So is Rose whose mother couldn’t move to Paris or Watford. So far but again that European window is still open.
There could have been more but anyone really expect Dybala or Coutinho to arrive. The latter, yes I know he has history with Poch, when they were at Espanyol but when someone moves to Barca for the sum he did there’s a pay packet to go with it and it’s not one in Levy’s ballpark. Dybala also would have been a hell of a top class signing but he doesn’t want to leave Juve they only want to let him go if they get a replacement which wasn’t coming by 5pm on August the 8th and again it came with a big price tag on top of any transfer or loan price. Both were last minute things so not something we were being promised for weeks.
And on the plus side no one else in the league got ’em, we didn’t end up with small pond Zaha and imagine being so poor in defence that you see David Luiz as an upgrade.
And everything is ready to go, just a shame some of those deals couldn’t have been done earlier then the players might have been available from the off.