‘Levy can now agree Tottenham deal more important than Gibbs-White and Kudus’
Daniel Levy has made considerable inroads in backing Thomas Frank in the transfer market.
In a whirlwind 24 hours at Hotspur Way, Spurs triggered Morgan Gibbs-White’s £60million release clause with Nottingham Forest hours before confirming the signing of Mohammed Kudus on a six-year deal.
Tottenham have potentially hit a snag, as it has been widely reported that Forest are threatening Spurs with legal action over the manner of their approach for Gibbs-White.
Nevertheless, Levy’s approach signals that he is committed to backing his new manager and could be in line to make the most significant move of the summer yet.
Atletico Madrid pull out of chase for Cristian Romero
One negative cloud still threatening to derail the optimism in North London is Cristian Romero’s uncertain future at Spurs.
The Argentina international has two years left on his contract and has been heavily linked with a move to Atletico Madrid after Diego Simeone admitted he was a fan of the talented centre-back.
However, the Spanish club have finally halted their approach for Romero and are already looking for alternatives, as reported by The Athletic (11 July).
Atletico never made an offer to Tottenham, but were aware that Levy was unwilling to compromise on his valuation of the World Cup winner, which was too rich for the La Liga giants.
Simeone’s club also believe that Spurs are looking to offer Romero a new contract this summer as Frank is keen on working with Romero.
This will not prove to be an easy task, as the 27-year-old has publicly criticised Tottenham’s hierarchy for lacking ambition.
However, Levy could use this summer’s extravagant spending as proof of changing times to convince Romero to stay.
Should the Spurs chairman succeed in tying Romero to a longer contract, it would undoubtedly be the most impactful deal he makes this summer, surpassing the signing of Kudus and the potential arrival of Gibbs-White.
Tottenham expectations are changing for Frank
Frank was initially appointed with the view that he was a safe pair of hands who would help stabilise Tottenham’s Premier League position and nurture their young squad.
Very few would have expected the Dane to instantly challenge for the biggest titles or even qualify for the UEFA Champions League at the first time of asking.
However, if Gibbs-White’s transfer comes through, Spurs would have already spent in the region of £170million this summer, with other approaches for players like Yoane Wissa still being explored.
This will massively increase the pressure on Frank’s shoulders, as he will be expected to mould this expensively assembled and talented squad into sustainable competitors much quicker than perhaps initially envisaged.
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