Spurs Blogsville

Levy Must Heed Poch As Spurs Venture Into New Transfer Territory

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It’s been a very good few days as a Tottenham fan. Harry Kane’s new deal on Friday has been closely followed by news yesterday that Dele is close to signing a new £100k a week contract. Things got even better today with the announcement that Spain boss Julen Lopetegui will be Real Madrid’s new manager.

Even those who had lingering doubts about Mauricio Pochettino staying will have been put at ease. Long-term security is a breeding ground for success, and it now falls on Daniel Levy and the recruitment team to get things right in the transfer department.

After all, Poch is reportedly keen to get our transfer business out of the way early this summer, and with the window closely almost a month earlier this year, that means we have much less time to get things moving and transfers finalised.

There can be no excuses for not getting deals done early in July following the World Cup. If we have a list of transfer targets prepared (as we should have), first bids should not be far away.

Of course, there are always mitigating circumstances. Negotiations with some clubs can be arduous and drawn out. Levy as a negotiator tends to drive a hard bargain for our players but in the same measure, try to drive down the price of any signing which lends itself to lengthy discussions that take weeks instead of days.

This year though, with time of the essence, I’m hoping for a slightly different approach. Whether a leopard can change its spots, I don’t know, but it would certainly be better for the club if Levy can mix up his negotiating style somewhat.

Even though the move hasn’t worked out, the model of how we signed Fernando Llorente from Swansea last summer could be used for how we do dealings. We signed the player from under Chelsea’s noses who were haggling over the fee.

The player was someone Pochettino needed so we matched the Swans’ asking price and sealed the deal. The time pressure of the deadline day move no doubt sped up negotiations. Hopefully, the shorter transfer window this summer will have a similar effect and get Levy moving.

For sure, there is always a risk of another Llorente where we overpay for a misfit, but at the same time, we could easily get in early before our rivals and secure a deal that could prove rewarding for the long-term instead.

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