OPINION
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino and chairman Daniel Levy face a delicate balancing act this summer as they prepare to lead the club into their new stadium next season.
Spurs will inevitably need to strengthen as competition for the top four in the Premier League no doubt increases once again, but that recruitment will have to be spot on amid the imminent stadium move.
One player that the club have been linked with recently is Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes, with Portuguese outlet A Bola reporting that Spurs are tracking the 23-year-old pass master.
The report claims that Sporting inserted an eye-watering £87million release clause into Fernandes’ contract signed last summer, but a deal this summer would happen at a far lower price.
A move for Fernandes, who has recently broken into the Portugal national side, would be perfect for Tottenham this summer for several reasons.
Firstly, there is the player himself.
Fernandes is 23 years old, and is usually deployed in central midfield for Sporting, whom he joined after spending five years in Italian football.
The young midfielder can however be deployed further forward, with around half his appearances this season coming in a playmaker or second striker role.
That move has paid dividends with his output this season, with Fernandes having scored 13 goals and provided 16 assists in all competitions so far.
Those are some seriously impressive numbers for Fernandes, who has been rewarded with his first four Portugal caps in recent months.
Another factor in this move would be Pochettino, who has a brilliant knack of improving young players, with Fernandes still just 23.
The progress of players such as Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Ben Davies, Kieran Trippier and Harry Winks under Pochettino suggest that the Argentine could turn Fernandes into a world-beater at Tottenham.
Finally, there is the Tottenham squad, and its lack of a real back-up for Christian Eriksen at attacking midfield.
Many would say that Erik Lamela can fill in for the Dane when he is not available, but he is not a natural playmaker in behind a striker, and is more of a wide man with the ability to play through the middle.
Fernandes on the other hand is a ready-made Eriksen alternative, while also being able to fill in deeper and further forward than that as well.
While he will not be cheap, Fernandes would be the perfect marquee signing for Daniel Levy as Spurs head into their new stadium, and he must pull out all the stops to sign the young star.