Paul Merson laughs off air at Tottenham transfer development, now quick to backtrack
Tottenham have risen above ridicule and achieved one of their most successful transfer windows in recent years.
It was unknown what kind of reception Thomas Frank would receive when he was appointed Tottenham head coach.
Daniel Levy is notorious for being meticulous with his finances and there have always been concerns that he’d be unable to keep up with the demands of the market.
But it seems the chairman has turned over a new leaf as he arms his coach with enough cavalry to win everything this season.
Paul Merson laughs at Eberechi Eze transfer blunder
Tottenham were left speechless when Arsenal stole Eberechi Eze from right under their nose.
The Crystal Palace forward had agreed personal terms with the North London club and was hours away from wearing the Lilywhite coloured shirt.
When the hijack came into fruition, Levy was public enemy number one, while Vinai Venkatesham received his share of lashings from Tottenham fans.
While Spurs supporters were up in arms about the whole ordeal, the football world rejoiced. Paul Merson couldn’t help but poke fun at Michael Bridge after Tottenham’s defeat to Bournemouth, but soon went back on his words.
When speaking to Merson in the Sky Sports News studio on Monday, 1 September, Bridge said: “Merse came on set the other day when Eze joined Arsenal, got mic’d up and laughed at me. So what does he feel now?
Merson was initially speechless, then said: “Well it was same old, same old on Saturday wasn’t it?”
However, the former Arsenal player did go on to praise Spurs’ transfer activity as he added: “But I like what Frank’s done this summer.”
- Read more: Tottenham would have won race for Eberechi Eze under one condition, Daniel Levy was helpless
Did Tottenham get the better deal?
Tottenham announced the arrival of Xavi Simons soon after missing out on Eze.
Randal Kolo Muani has since been confirmed by Tottenham as the Lilywhites close up shop for another summer.
Simons was initially a target for Spurs before Eze became a more viable option. But a quick delve into their stats last season reveals that the North London club should have never strayed from their pursuit of Simons.
| Xavi Simons | Statistics | Eberechi Eze |
| 0.29 per 90 | Assists | 0.28 per 90 |
| 0.25 per 90 | Expected assists (xA) | 0.16 per 90 |
| 2.13 per 90 | Chances created | 2.01 per 90 |
| 0.83 per 90 | Successful crosses | 1.00 per 90 |
In the Premier League, Eze contributed 0.28 assists per game while Simons just pulled ahead with 0.29 per 90. But their expected assists make all the difference.
The former Crystal Palace star recorded 0.16 in expected assists last season, while Spurs’ new man finished at 0.25 per game. While both overperformed in the statistics, the difference between Eze’s recorded assists and his expected assists was colossal.
This means that while Eze was creating chances for his teammates, they were of a significantly lesser quality. As a result, in terms of creativity, Simons seems like the better buy for the North London club.
Sign up for the daily Tottenham News newsletter on Substack and our new WhatsApp channel to have all the latest, breaking Tottenham Hotspur news sent straight to your phone.