Tottenham Hotspur were linked with Nicolo Zaniolo over the summer.
Tottenham Hotspur eventually landed their playmaker on deadline day, as Real Betis star Giovani Lo Celso arrived on loan with a view to a permanent move.
Spurs spent much of the summer attempting to bring in a new number 10, and a whole host of names were linked, including Bruno Fernandes and even Philippe Coutinho.
Lo Celso appeared to be Mauricio Pochettino’s first choice all along, but another name linked earlier in the summer as Roma playmaker Nicolo Zaniolo.
The 20-year-old only joined Roma from Inter last summer, as a makeweight in a deal that saw Radja Nainggolan head to the San Siro – and Roma will feel they ended up getting the better end of the deal merely based on performances last summer.
Zaniolo impressed last season with six goals and two assists, and Tottenham were seemingly keen to lure him to North London as a result of those performances.
The Mirror even recently claimed that Spurs were confident of a deal for Zaniolo, believing that a cash-plus-Toby Alderweireld deal was in the pipeline.
However, Spurs got their man in Lo Celso, and Zaniolo has killed off the chances of Spurs rekindling their interest any time soon, as Roma have confirmed he has signed a new deal until 2024.
Calciomercato claim that the deal is worth just €1.5million (£1.38million), which is around £26,500-a-week. Spurs would have surely given him more, but maybe it’s better for Zaniolo to stay where he is, keep playing regularly and then see what happens down the line.
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