View: Tottenham could be set for multi-million losses due to poor recruitment
It is no secret that some of the recruitment at Tottenham in recent seasons has been particularly questionable at best
Very few of Spurs’ most expensive signings have been a success, with the majority of the club’s biggest stars in recent years all costing very little, or nothing at all.
Harry Kane is an academy graduate, Son Heung-min cost in the region of £20million, while the likes of Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld all cost even less. In contrast, when Spurs have spent big, the results have not been good.
Tanguy Ndombele, Richarlison, Cristian Romero, James Maddison and Davinson Sanchez make up the club’s top-five list when it comes to their most costly arrivals (Transfermarkt), and it can be argued that only one of them has been a success.
Of course, Maddison has arrived this summer and can not yet be judged. However, from the other four names on the list, only Romero can really hold his head high based on his time in the colours of Lilywhite.
And as a result of this sloppy transfer business, the club and Daniel Levy are now set to make millions in losses as some of the deadwood at Hotspur Way begins to be cleared out.
First and foremost, Ndombele, the club’s record signing and without a doubt most disappointing arrival of the five names mentioned, could finally be set to leave North London after four incredibly underwhelming years.
And this time a transfer away looks permanent after the Frenchman spent the last two seasons out on loan. According to The Mirror (1 August) Galatasaray are set to fork out £11million for the midfielder who Spurs paid £63million for (Sky Sports, 2 July 2019).
This represents a staggering £52million loss, not to mention the money spent on the 26-year-old’s wages, after a period of time at the club that has seen a very limited return, if any at all, on the initial investment. Since arriving in 2019, Ndombele has made just 91 appearances for the club, scoring 10 goals and providing nine assists.
Sanchez is another player reportedly on his way out this summer, and although he has spent a longer period of time at the club, it hasn’t been any more successful than Ndombele’s stay has been.
The Colombia international defender made a really positive start to life in the Premier League when he arrived under Mauricio Pochettino, but has since seen his form nosedive. Now, the 27-year-old could finally be set to move on after six years.
As reported by Fabrizio Romano via Twitter (24 July), Russian side Spartak Moscow had bid around £10million for the defender with the deal at an advanced stage, and although nothing has come of that as of now, it shows the sort of pricetag Spurs are considering.
After arriving at the time for a then-club-record fee of around £42million (The Guardian, 23 August 2017), this represents another financial loss for Levy, this time around £32million.
Combined together this comes to a total loss of £84million on just two players, and this is made even more shocking when considering the ages of the players when they signed and when they will now be sold.
Sanchez arrived at the age of 21 and leaves as a 27-year-old while Ndombele was 22 and is now 26. These are both considered prime ages in players’ careers, when they are meant to be at the peak of their powers. However, both are being sold on for massive losses, despite arriving as youngsters and leaving as seasoned professionals.
This only continues to emphasise the club’s terrible recruitment and if they wish to avoid financial mishaps like this again in the future, then a serious internal investigation is in order.
In other Tottenham News, the club could look to replace Harry Kane with a wonderkid from Bayern Munich.