Why Ousmane Diabate links show Tottenham have learned from repeat transfer mistake

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly making a move for teenage midfielder Ousmane Diabate.

Spurs chiefs haven't wasted any time in making major upgrades to Roberto De Zerbi's squad this summer.

Six new faces are through the door, and it doesn't appear that the Lilywhites have any intention of slowing down their recruitment drive anytime soon.

The majority of Tottenham's new signings this summer are more experienced, established players, as De Zerbi hunts for instant impact-makers.

Even the acquisition of Mateus Fernandes, 21, is a signing for the present as much as it is for the future given he's now proven himself to be a quality player in the Premier League.

However, Spurs may now be shifting focus to finding gems of the future, and they appear to have identified one playing in Turkey.

How much Tottenham feel they can sign Ousmane Diabate for

Sandro Tonali and the aforementioned Fernandes have already seen Tottenham bolster their midfield engine room substantially, but further help could soon be on the way here.

A report from the Daily Mail is claiming that Spurs, alongside fellow Premier League rivals Brentford, are in discussions to sign 18-year-old defensive midfielder Diabate.

The teenager plays for Turkish Super Lig side Genclerbirligi, having joined them in December last year after a failed move to Danish outfit FC Midtjylland.

It's reported that Tottenham feel his signature can be acquired for as little as £3million in addition to bonuses, but the report states that Brentford currently seem to be leading the chase for him.

Diabate is already a full Guinea international, having won his first cap in a friendly against Northern Ireland in June of this year.

For many years under the previous regime, however, Diabate is not the sort of player Tottenham would target in the market.

Tottenham's transfer mindset shift is already working

So many times over the years have Tottenham signed players that they've either made no profit on, with many deals even seeing them get no return on their investment in terms of hard cash at all.

Sergio Reguilon, Tanguy Ndombele, Ryan Sessegnon, Lucas Moura, Matt Doherty, Erik Lamela; all of these players Spurs signed for big money only to see them leave on free transfers, with the latter being included as part of the deal to sign Bryan Gil.

Money was constantly being lost on these sorts of pieces of recruitment, and even for all the money behind Tottenham, that's still not a smart or effective business model to run.

What is, however, is targeting younger players for small fees that can be coached up, and later sold for big profits down the line.

Tottenham seem to have a firm understanding of this strategy now, with the likes of Luka Vuskovic, Souza, Kota Takai, Yang Min-Hyeok, Antonin Kinsky and Lucas Bergvall all providing clear evidence of Spurs' shifting transfer mindset.

Of course, and as we've already seen this summer, Tottenham will still spend money on established stars, but never has it felt like there's been more of a focus on safeguarding their future through investing in youth.

Diabate, whether he makes his way to N17 or not this summer, is further proof of that, and long may it continue.