LEVY MUST CASH IN AND REBUILD SQUAD

MANY will dismiss it as brinkmanship, but Tottenham are insistent their biggest names are not for sale this summer. Harry Kane has hinted he might be open to offers and there would undoubtedly be interest in talents including Dele Alli and Son Heung-min. Yet the worth of all players this summer will be affected by recession and Daniel Levy (below) enjoys his reputation for driving the hardest of bargains. Why sell amid a crash? It makes sense. Yet so would taking a hit that allows Jose Mourinho to freshen Mauricio Pochettino’s squad. If the former manager appeared jaded by the end, so did a number of his players. Maybe the place needs a change, some new ideas, a few new faces. From the start of lockdown, when Levy furloughed non-playing staff and delivered a doomy address about football’s short-term finances, it seemed Tottenham’s plan was to stand still. Mourinho may have had his difficulties with Tanguy Ndombele, for instance, but he looks to be stuck with him. Faced with taking a bath on his £65m investment, or telling Mourinho to work anew with the club’s record signing, we all know what Levy would prefer. And while there is obvious spare at Tottenham in certain positions — full backs Danny Rose and Serge Aurier and centre half Toby Alderweireld, for instance — it is unlikely to raise enough for the changes Mourinho would ideally make. One major sale, however — although not Kane and certainly not to a Premier League rival such as Manchester United — could support rejuvenation. That is what Tottenham need most of all — starting tonight, when victory over United is essential.