OPINION
Saturday brought with it the news that Tottenham Hotspur had entered the race for Bordeaux’s highly-rated Brazilian starlet Malcom, who is rated at a massive £50million.
As reported by Sky Sports, Spurs join a host of top clubs in the hunt for Malcom’s signature, including Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
There had been separate claims that Spurs had submitted a £31million bid for the wing wizard, but Sky reports that those are untrue.
The 20-year-old has been in red-hot form for his club this year, scoring seven goals and laying on four assists in 19 Ligue 1 games so far.
What has been more eye-catching however, is the nature of his goals.
Malcom has a wand of a left foot, and he has been banging them in from all angles for Bordeaux, who would be seriously struggling without the young Brazilian.
There can be no doubting the youngster’s ability, or the fact that he should be playing at a higher level.
At times, he has made Ligue 1 defenders look like schoolboys with his quick feet, neat touch, and stunning strikes, and it would be a joy to watch him in the Premier League.
But the question remains, why are Spurs interested?
This is a player who is being touted at £50million. Spurs have never paid that amount of money for anyone.
He is still relatively unproven, and his stats are not overly impressive.
Malcom has 18 goals and 13 assists in 78 appearances for Bordeaux, and only managed seven goals and five assists in his 54 appearances for former club Corinthians.
For a winger who loves to cut inside, these are not eye-popping numbers.
That is especially true when you think about the leagues he has played in. The Brazilian league is lacking massively when it comes to defending, and Ligue 1, whilst an improvement, still leaves much to be desired.
What is going to happen when he comes up against Premier League-quality defences?
In all honesty, this could be another Clinton N’Jie or Georges Kevin-Nkoudou situation. Brilliant in the French league but just not good enough in England.
The move makes even less sense when you consider the timing.
The January window is a period of strengthening for the season ahead, bringing in players who you think will make a difference in the next few months, as well as the future.
They would be much better off going for long-term targets Ross Barkley or Wilfried Zaha next month, players who could come in and make an instant improvement.
Players who would also cost much less than the £50million asking price for Malcom.
The only way that a deal for the Brazilian maestro would make sense would be a loan-back deal which sees him remain with Bordeaux for the rest of the season.
And such a deal would not make any financial sense for Spurs, who would surely be unable to fork out such a large fee for a future player with the stadium costs looming over their heads.
Quite frankly, this is a deal that looks both unlikely and unwise, and Spurs should leave other clubs to fight over his signature, while concentrating their efforts elsewhere.
If they fail to do so, then that all-important Champions League qualification could be in serious jeopardy.