Some Tottenham Hotspur fans have been reacting on social media today to the news that their long-term transfer target Mateo Kovacic has told Real Madrid he wants to leave the club, according to Marca.
The Croatian has been keen on a move away for some time, with his first team opportunities limited at the Bernabéu, and he said as much in a meeting with new Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui recently.
[Marca] understands long-term Tottenham Hotspur target Mateo Kovacic has informed Real Madrid of his desire to leave the club with the desire to play regular first-team football.
It is believed the Croatian midfielder’s valuation now currently stands at £44 million.#THFC #COYS pic.twitter.com/u0pzo6EArC
— Ricky Sacks ? (@RickySacks) July 23, 2018
The 24-year-old’s desire to leave the Spanish capital is said to have alerted a whole host of clubs, with both Manchester teams, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Juventus all reportedly interested in signing the midfielder.
Tottenham reportedly had an offer rejected for Kovacic last summer, according to the Metro.
However, it is Tottenham fans, displaying a mix of excitement and apprehension that they’ll miss out on the player, who have been making the biggest waves on social media today.
@DanielCliff16 it’s happening?
— CE.23 (@DybalxrJR) July 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/kaiyidnorth/status/1021127527362940928
44m for Kovacic? We NEED to be all over that immediately
— Ryan (@RY27EPHEN) July 22, 2018
https://twitter.com/Pochitivity/status/1021151426402242563
Kovacic & Martial would be brilliant. The problem would seem to be that we're tight w/ regards to our non-home grown quota. Goes to show what a waste having three non-home grown gk's is.
— Joe Theuma (@JTGozo) July 23, 2018
If we’re not all over that Kovacic deal then it’s clear we’re not going to be signing a midfielder this transfer window? #THFC
— Ciaran Davies (@ciarandavies_) July 23, 2018
If Spurs sign Kovacic, Grealish and any one of Zaha, Martial or Pulisic then I’ll doth my hat to Daniel Levy #coys #tottenham #transferwindowchat #hashtag
— Dom K (@dom_k) July 23, 2018
Personally don't think we will act quick enough and get deal done. Don't even believe any rumours from us now. Not because of the journalist merit simply because of the club's inaction when good become available. Bad times.
— Daniel Parry (@danielparry153) July 23, 2018
OPINION
These responses show you how fed up with Daniel Levy and Tottenham’s lack of investment some Spurs fans are. The news of a player your club has long coveted telling their current employer that they want to leave should be music to fans ears, however a portion of Spurs supporters have seemingly stopped listening. Kovacic is a tremendous talent who emerged as a key player for Inter Milan while still a teenager, he’s struggled for game time at Madrid but that’s no slight on his ability. Given the chance to play regular first team football under a manager like Mauricio Pochettino, there’s no doubt he’d flourish. However the news that he wants to leave Real seems to have alerted half of Europe, meaning Tottenham may struggle to stand out from the crowd. If he was brought to North London, though, it would be some way for Levy to end the club’s summer transfer drought.