Spurs plan to sidestep late splurge
TOTTENHAM are ready to conduct their transfer business early this summer in a bid to find some pre-World Cup bargains.
The club have a recent history of completing deals late in the window but now are prepared to change tack, believing fees will rise after the tournament in Russia gets underway in mid-June.
New chief scout Steve Hitchen has been working on a list of names for chairman Daniel Levy and manager Mauricio Pochettino has hinted that early activity is possible.
“We are working with Steve,” he said. “The World Cup only can confirm your idea about a player. It is so dangerous to go and scout players in the World Cup because, if a player is good, how are you going to sign him after?
“You need to anticipate and say, ‘OK this player can be good for us’, and then he goes to the World Cup.
“But you need to sign before the tournament starts because he is doing well and then you will have a lot of competition if they are good.”
While Tottenham make the trip to Brighton tonight with fourth place all but guaranteed, Pochettino has already started an inquest into his side’s performances this season.
He is all too aware that a poor start to the campaign cost his side and wants to avoid that happening again next term when they return to White Hart Lane.
“Sometimes there are many questions about how we reduce the gap and how we compete better or reach the level of Manchester City. It is impossible to answer that,” he said.
“But it is not impossible [to win the title next season]. We need to start better than this season.”
Tottenham could pick out-of-favour Toby Alderweireld at Brighton. The Belgium defender has not played in the Premier League since October due to injury and his future at the club looks bleak, but he may get a surprise run-out.
Brighton defender Shane Duffy, meanwhile, says he will be relieved to have the job of marking England striker Harry Kane after an unusual encounter with Wilfried Zaha on Saturday.
Duffy is looking forward to tangling with a more conventional centreforward after Zaha struck twice while playing in a floating role for Crystal Palace, helping to inflict a 3-2 defeat on Chris Hughton’s side.
“Zaha is a good player,” said Duffy. “For a centre-half it was difficult because I was up against no one the whole game.
“Everyone is saying the defence was terrible and I’m thinking, I was marking no one. Every time I looked around I had no one.
“With Harry Kane up against us, you know the runs he makes, you know he wants to get shots off early. Zaha just floats everywhere and it’s quite difficult.” DUFFY: Relieved