Six weeks before the January transfer window opened, Italian publication Tuttomercatoweb provided an update on Tottenham Hotspur’s long-running pursuit of Ruslan Malinovksyi.
Spurs coach Antonio Conte allegedly held face-to-face talks with the Ukraine international during the summer. And, with both he and Fabio Paratici believing that Malinovksyi would be a ‘perfect’ January addition, the odds on the then-Atalanta playmaker reuniting with Cristian Romero and Dejan Kulusevski appeared high indeed.
“The player would love to join Tottenham,” Fabrizio Romano told Last Word on Spurs a few days after Christmas. “The player dreams of the Premier League in general. And Tottenham would be a big dream for him.”
But what changed? Why, with Malinovskyi joining Marseille this week instead for a bargain fee of around £9 million, was a serious approach from Tottenham not forthcoming? The 29-year-old himself, in conversation with RMC, insists that interest from English football never turned ‘concrete’ before putting pen to paper at the Stade Velodrome.
Tottenham Hotspur move never happened for Ruslan Malinovskyi
Well, there’s been one big development at Tottenham since Romano spoke about Malinovskyi’s situation on December 30th. Bryan Gil started his first Premier League game under Antonio Conte just two days later. And, with Kulusevski absent, he grabbed his first assist in the 4-0 shellacking of Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
It’s taken 18 months, but Gil is finally starting to make his mark on English soil. The spindly Spaniard was mesmerising at times against Palace; setting up one of Harry Kane’s two goals while dovetailing beautifully alongside the England international.
Despite Gil’s lack of game time throughout 2022, Conte frequently spoke in glowing terms about the former Sevilla starlet, highlighting a lack of physicality – rather than a lack of ability – when explaining why Gil had found opportunities so hard to come by. Now, with Gil showing real signs of adapting to life in the hustle and bustle of English football, who knows, perhaps Kulusevski will face a fight to get his place back.
Bryan Gil ‘born to play football’
“We are talking about a player who was born to play football. He understands football,” Conte told Football London after that four-goal obliteration of Crystal Palace. “He’s so clever, so intelligent
“You have to be strong physically (to thrive in the Premier League). I think, compared to last season, Gil is improving a lot in this aspect. I compared him to Bernardo Silva, at Manchester City, because in my opinion, they are really, really similar.
“He has to continue to work really strongly on the physical aspect. Because – I repeat – we are talking about a player with great quality.”
Gil finally makes his mark
Starting three games in a row in all competitions for the first time as a Tottenham player; Conte is proving to be as good as his word. Gil’s drive and determination to iron out those kinks appear to have finally won over the former Inter Milan boss. And it’s surely no coincidence that, following Gil’s emergence as a genuine first-team option, Tottenham’s interest in Malinovskyi appeared to dry up quicker than a puddle in the desert.
Conte, per Corriere Bergamo, had initially identified Malinovskyi as the ideal back-up for Kulusevski; a left-footed right-sided midfielder capable of providing both goals and assists. Now, with Gil performing those duties following Kulusevski’s latest injury, a place that looked to have been left wide open for Malinovskyi now found itself filled.
While one door opens, as they say, another closes.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
