Spurs supporters may not thank us for dredging up those ‘Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to Tottenham’ rumours. But now feels like the perfect time to revisit a story older than time itself.
Because, with Corriere dello Sport claiming Simone Inzaghi is the latest name in the frame to take over from Jose Mourinho in north London, it feels only a matter of time before a 6ft 4in powerhouse midfielder nicknamed ‘The Sergeant’ is linked once again too.
Milinkovic-Savic has been a Tottenham target since those heady days of 2018, a faraway time when Spurs were genuine Premier League contenders and one of Europe’s most thrilling sides.
According to The Mirror, Daniel Levy was ready to invest £100 million to bring ‘SMS’ and his Lazio teammate Ciro Immobile to England at the time.
Three years on, 2020 Capocannoniere-winner Immobile is more prolific than ever. But he’s also 31. And Levy, a shrewd businessman at heart, is rarely willing to spend big on a player heading into the autumn of his career.
Milinkovic-Savic, meanwhile, hasn’t even entered his peak at the age of 26. And, with eight goals and 11 assists this season, a wondrous technician with rockets in his boots is starting to flesh out the claims he could be “better than Paul Pogba”.
Now, any lingering hopes Tottenham may have had of luring Milinkovic-Savic to the English capital appeared to die a death with Jose Mourinho’s departure.
Last summer, FootMercato reported the Portuguese tactician was driving the pursuit of a silky £50 million-rated Serbia international he also wanted at Manchester United.
Appointing Inzaghi as Mourinho’s successor, however, could bring the rumours back to life again, putting Tottenham closer to Milinkovic-Savic than ever – closer than in 2018, closer than in 2020.
It was Inzaghi who transformed SMS from a youngster with vast potential into one of Europe’s most complete central midfielders after all.
And if Inzaghi does swap Rome for London before raiding his old employers, Milinkovic-Savic may be the first man he calls.
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