OPINION
Tottenham may have employed a restrained transfer strategy this summer, not signing a single player, but that can’t be their approach moving forward.
Spurs’s team will only stay together for so long, and they can’t afford to be cut adrift from their Premier League rivals. With that in mind, they should seriously consider attempting to steal left back Junior Firpo from under Manchester City’s noses.
According to Spanish outlet Eldesmarque City are considering making a move for the Real Betis defender, who has a £54million release clause in his contract with the Spanish side.
Now that’s a lot of money, but Spurs can afford it after their thriftiness this summer. Pep Guardiola only wants to sign the player as cover for Benjamin Mendy, whereas Mauricio Pochettino could offer him a much faster route into the first team.
Danny Rose’s future at the club is up in the air after a summer of speculation linking him with the White Hart Lane exit door, and if he were to leave Ben Davies would be the only senior left back at the club.
Contingency plans must be made in case Rose does depart. That’s where Junior comes in. At 22 years of age he would represent a significant investment in the future, as well as ensuring Spurs have a quality alternative to Davies in the present.
Pochettino cannot allow his squad to grow stagnant. He has an excellent group of players at the moment, but if the club doesn’t move forward it will be taken over by more ambitious rivals.
If Rose leaves then a player of equal or better quality must be brought in to replace him. Junior would do that, and his signing would provide a blow to City in the process.
The club’s pitch to the player would be simply: if you come to us you’ll play regular football, if you go to City you’ll sit on the bench behind Mendy.
Davies, while a good player, is no Mendy, meaning that Junior’s chances of unseating him would be a lot higher than at City. If he prioritises playing time then he chooses Spurs over the champions every day of the week.
£54million is a hefty fee for a fairly unproven player, but Pochettino must be allowed to strengthen his squad in future windows – especially if Rose leaves the club.
This is a deal that would make perfect sense for Tottenham, more so than it does for City. The team are doing well at the moment, but they cannot afford to fall behind their rivals. This is the sort of move that would ensure that doesn’t happen.