Tottenham are in pursuit of Brentford forward Ollie Watkins as manager Mauricio Pochettino confirms he is only looking at signing the club’s top targets, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper claim that the Lilywhites have been keeping a close eye on the progress of the 22-year-old, who can play as either a winger or a centre forward, over a potential transfer swoop as he stars for the Bees in the Championship, with four goals and three assists to his name this season in 11 second tier appearances.
Meanwhile Pochettino revealed that Spurs would only be chasing a player’s signing if he was what the club needed, and that they would not be signing anyone for the sake of it.
Revealing his approach to new signings, he told the Daily Mail: “Maybe you have the money but not enough to sign what you need or want. Maybe the player you need is not on the market.
“It is easy to say we are going to sign three players and, oh, look, the people are happy because we signed them. If you need to sign to make people happy or to be like other clubs that is not common sense.”
Good move for Tottenham?
Some might question the sort of quality that Spurs are targeting with a move for Watkins, but it is all about sourcing the next Dele Alli for Pochettino.
The club need to boost the number of English players who are considered homegrown on their books, for they are being forced to leave players out of their Champions League squad due to the rules in place.
However, any established talents are already at Premier League rivals who are unlikely to sell to Pochettino, so Spurs need to find the next star and snap him up – as they did with Dele Alli.
Watkins seems to be a bright spark in the Championship, with 14 goals in 56 appearances, but whether he is the right man to take the huge leap from second tier to the top of the Premier League is uncertain, and he would be a risky signing for the Lilywhites.
This is Futbol rating: 6/10
Likely to happen?
If Tottenham truly want Watkins, then he will be Pochettino’s in the snap of his fingers.
He is not going to be priced at a ridiculous figure, and the lure of playing for Spurs alongside the likes of Harry Kane is going to be too much for the 22-year-old to resist.
Still, whether Spurs’ pursuit of him is anything real remains to be seen, and as such there must be some doubt over this one.
This is Futbol rating: 5/10