OPINION
Tottenham Hotspur face a crucial summer transfer window as they prepare to move into their new stadium at the start of next season, and the latest name linked with the club is an interesting one indeed.
As reported by The Sun, Tottenham have opened talks over a £10million deal for Sheffield United attacker David Brooks.
The newspaper claim that Spurs scouts have identified the 20-year-old as a future star, and want to turn him into the next Harry Kane.
The Sun report that Spurs hope to secure Brooks’ signature in the summer, and hope a £10million plus extras offer will be sufficient for the Blades to relinquish their starlet.
Now, Brooks may not be the kind of name you would expect Spurs to be looking at this summer, but that does not mean that this is not a good move for the club.
The 20-year-old forward has only just broken into the Blades first-team for good this season, and his campaign has been beset by injuries.
However, he has still made 22 appearances for Sheffield this season, and most of those have been fantastic performances from the youngster.
One that particularly sticks in mind was the Blades’ 4-2 win over rivals Sheffield Wednesday in September, when Brooks was named man-of-the-match.
The forward was unplayable at times in the first Steel City derby in nearly five years, and secured a famous win that cemented the Blades return to the Championship.
If you look solely at Brooks’ stats from this season, it is easy to feel underwhelmed. Just two goals and four assists in all competitions this season is hardly befitting a player chased by Tottenham.
However, you must look at the bigger picture with Brooks, who is still just a youngster making his first few tentative steps in the professional game.
The Sun report states that Spurs scouts have been blown away by Brooks, and have abandoned their pursuits of other similar-aged talents to focus on the Blades man.
The Spurs scouting network is one of the best in the business at the moment, and their decision to focus all their efforts on Brooks is telling.
Mauricio Pochettino, known for his brilliant coaching of young players, is obviously involved somewhere down the line, and that is also a promising sign.
Two-time Wales international Brooks would add to Spurs’ contingent of young British players, and would be an exciting addition to the squad.
£10million in today’s market is peanuts, and Spurs may be about to commit a transfer masterstroke if they pull this one off.