Don’t despair, Spurs fans... Mourinho has been very cunning with his summer shopping FOWLER
THIS may disappoint Tottenham fans who wanted higher-profile signings, but I like their transfer dealings so far.
They’ve been clever at a time when clubs really can’t afford to get wrong any investments in the market, because of the huge financial hit the Premier
League has taken over the coronavirus crisis.
How? Well, they’ve minimised the risk.
Of course, any signing is always a bit of a gamble, because you never know how a player will settle.
But they’ve gone for the tried and tested, in that they’ve signed players with proven Premier League experience – and that should allow them to hit the ground running.
Tottenham of all clubs have learned that lesson the hard way.
What was it they threw at the signing of Tanguy Ndombele, £55million or so?
He was obviously a quality player, played for France, showed class at Lyon. But it was still a massive gamble.
So far it hasn’t paid off, and if Jose Mourinho gets his way it will prove a massive failure, because he’ll be shipped out after a year, at a catastrophic financial loss.
There are never any guarantees, because there are always variables when it comes to players and new countries. Language, culture, settling in, all those things.
Even Jurgen Klopp with his impressive record in the transfer market has had those issues – Naby Keita is a perfect example.
He’s taken two years to look like the player Liverpool spent
£52m on.
Spurs can’t afford any more
Ndombele disasters, not with money
so tight as they service a huge debt on their new stadium.
So their latest crop of signings (above, right) had to be shrewd ones, not big gambles.
There’s no superstar, not much wow factor – the Giovani Lo Celso permanent switch was all settled way back in January – but they add value including wise head Joe Hart. Contrast that to Everton.
I think they have gone out and done what was required for a club trying to play catch-up this summer, by backing the manager’s judgement.
Two of the new faces have played elsewhere under Carlo Ancelotti, and he has clearly decided they can adapt to the Premier League.
Both are fairly spectacular signings – Colombia star James in particular, because he definitely has that big-name glamour.
What I would say too, is that Everton’s board have made the right decision in backing Ancelotti.
How many of the signings that Goodison director of football Marcel Brands has made since he started in 2018 are first-team regulars?
How many are a true success? Not many.
So back a manager who knows players inside out, and back his reputation as a boss to attract players like James and Allan you wouldn’t normally be able to sign. That still offers no guarantees.
James is a great player on reputation, has obvious quality and he will provide that creativity Everton lack. Is he up there with the Chelsea signings of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz though? I don’t know.
And what happens if he struggles to settle in a new country? His international team-mate Yerry Mina struggled, so there’s no guarantee.
Good players can handle that pressure of course, but if he doesn’t produce, how long before questions are asked? He’s a gamble – but one worth taking in Everton’s position.
I think both Everton and Spurs are capable of challenging for European places this season, if they get a bit of luck with their signings settling in.
Yet I would urge both managers to treat the cups seriously too, because there is still a hell of a lot to be said for giving fans some silverware.