Jose Mourinho has dismissed Manchester United’s chances of signing Tottenham’s best players any more because their top-four rivals have become “so powerful”.
The United manager delivered some fascinating insight into the difficulties of prising elite players from rival clubs in a modern transfer market in which previously compliant clubs are now better able to hold firm.
Mourinho used Tottenham as an example, pointing out how United were able to buy high-class players from Spurs such as Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Carrick in the past but could no longer do so.
“Can we go to Tottenham and buy their best players? No – because they don’t sell or because they are so powerful that they can say no,” Mourinho said, as quoted by Sky Sports.
“A few years ago, who was Tottenham’s best player? Michael Carrick. [Mourinho gestures to indicate Carrick moved to United].
“A few years later, who was the best player? Berbatov [Mourinho makes the same gesture].
“Can we go now there and bring Harry Kane, Dele Alli, [Christian] Eriksen, [Heung-min] Son? Can we go there and bring the guys here? No.”
OPINION
Intriguingly, one Tottenham player Mourinho did not mention was Toby Alderweireld, the centre-back who United were priced out of signing by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy over the summer. Or, Eric Dier, who United also tried to land a few summers ago but the north Londoners slapped on a ‘not for sale’ sign. Levy and Tottenham have certainly got better at holding on to their star men, with Kyle Walker’s £54million exit to Manchester City at the start of last season the only notable exit of the Mauricio Pochettino era. Levy has always been effective at getting top dollar for his prize assets – from Gareth Bale and Luka Modric back to Berbatov and Carrick – and is now able to simply price them out of the reach of even the world’s biggest-spending clubs. Real Madrid fancy Christian Eriksen? No bother. Levy has reportedly responded by demanding a world-record £222million fee. It’s a strategy that is working, as Spurs are continuing to punch above their weight.