Tottenham missed out on Cengiz Under to Roma in the summer.
One of the early names linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer was Turkish sensation Cengiz Under.
Dubbed as the ‘Turkish Dybala’ and a clubmate of Emmanuel Adebayor at Istanbul Basaksehir, Under was reported by The Sun to be close to a £8 million move to Spurs.
Tottenham were beaten to his signature by Italian side Roma, and in pre-season the winger predictably scored against Spurs in a 3-2 win which had fans ruing their failure to buy him.
In the regular season for Roma, Under has not had quite the same instant success.
He has made only three starts, and three substitute appearances during Roma’s first 11 games.
It is not enough game time to accurately judge whether Spurs made a mistake in the long-term, but it does suggest he would also have found it tough to become a regular for the North London side.
Spurs do not need another Georges-Kevin N’Koudou, a winger not ready for selection 15 months after signing, and if the same fate was ahead for Under, they were right to back off.
Despite his slow start in Rome, Under’s agent Omer Kuray Uzun believes his client made the right choice.
He told Tuttomercatoweb: “The most important thing is that he is part of the team’s training, and when he has more minutes, he will still be better for Roma’s cause. It takes time, outside and inside the field, but I’m happy with his progress with Roma.”
Tottenham are likely saving their money for a more established winger if one becomes available, and so far, pre-season aside, Under has given them little reason to feel they missed out.
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