OPINION
Tottenham Hotspur will be disappointed to have missed out on the signing of dazzling Fulham youngster Ryan Sessegnon after he agreed to extend his stay at Craven Cottage.
Fulham midfielders Sessegnon and Tom Cairney have agreed to sign new contracts at the club despite interest from Tottenham and West Ham respectively, according to The Times.
Sessegnon and Cairney agree to sign new contracts at #Fulham despite interest from #Tottenham and #WestHam respectively. Major boost for Fulham. https://t.co/0DWkr4cncb
— Matt Hughes (@MattHughesDM) June 27, 2018
The report claims that both Sessegnon and Cairney will sign 12-month extensions to their existing contracts, which currently expire in 2020 and 2022 respectively.
This is the best bit of business Fulham will do all summer, or maybe even next summer too. These two players were clearly the best players in the Championship last season, with the two linking up in the play-off final to score the goal that sent them to the Premier League.
Sessegnon is one of the best English youngsters of his generation, holding on to him was always going to be a tough task with the big boys interested, but the fact he’s staying put at Craven Cottage is a massive testament to his desire to play regular first-team football.
The 18-year-old, who can play at left-back and left-midfield, was in scintillating form for his club side last season scoring 16 goals and providing 8 assists in 52 appearances in all competitions (TransferMarkt).
He’s got a wand of a left-foot, bags of pace and can finish very well for someone of his age, as normally that level of composure comes with maturity. He can also put in great crosses from the left and has a very good weight of pass, shown with his assist to Cairney in the Championship play-off final.
Mauricio Pochettino will be devastated to miss out on the signature of such a phenomenal English talent, the Argentine has already shown he can develop English players like Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Harry Winks, Eric Dier and others.
Maybe Spurs will come back in with another bid in 12 months time, but the price will rise exponentially if Sessegnon continues his form from last season into the Premier League. If that happens then it won’t be just Tottenham who will have an interest, because all the big clubs in Europe will come calling.