This piece of news I find absolutely ridiculous, not because I think it’s beyond Tottenham Hotspur’s Toby Alderweireld to successful play for a club of Barcelona’s calibre but because…well you’ll see.
For a start, we’re not even in November.
For a second it comes from the Daily Mirror and their report this week doesn’t even bother taking the effort to cite ‘sources’ close to, adjacent, or in anyway connected with the parties involved.
It’s simply stated as fact that Barcelona are interested in signing Alderweireld in the January window like the Mirror have a transfer claim record to be proud of and should be believed.
It did, however, include one tangent that sparked a number of fans’ interest – namely with us being linked with being in a battle for Mattijs de Ligt with the Spanish giants, allowing them to fill the centre-half spot with Alderweireld would leave us free to chase our apparent top target.
Mate, if only ????????????????????
— Gord Beb (@gbeb92) October 17, 2018
Exactly!
— Alex (@AlexKyri_) October 17, 2018
would rather this than him going to united tbh but we have to get de ligt and not ake if this happens
— Tyler Wilson (@XpeRia_PRiME) October 17, 2018
As long as we don't end up with Vermaelen in part exchange
— G_Skltn (@g_skltn) October 17, 2018
Genuinely good news,we already know he’s leaving better them than a prem side and gives us a chance of getting de ligt
— Lewis (@_Kennxdy) October 17, 2018
Again, believability here is my red flag as they also state we have the option to extend his deal by 12 months, but in doing so we enact a £25million release fee. Not only does that sound like bad business from Daniel Levy given we’d only force a contract extension if the player was doing well and we were protecting the financials more than anything else, isn’t roughly £25million all we’d get in January given the length left on his contract?
With no source stated, the comments also roughly find favour in Levy leaking the link to the press on the assumption Barcelona read the Mirror as opposed to having scouts of their own and that’s a leap with a brick wall before landing for me.