Champions League football, the pulling power of Antonio Conte, and £150 million worth of investment from their ENIC Group owners; The days of scrimping and saving, making do and mending, appear to be over at Tottenham Hotspur, for the time being anyway.
Seldom has the club swaggered into a summer window with such a sense of power, ambition and belief.
Suddenly, with the stars aligning, some of Europe’s most coveted players feel more attainable than ever before…
Who will Tottenham sign after sealing Champions League qualification?
Yves Bissouma – Brighton and Hove Albion
“My dream is like every player, I want to play in the Champions League. I want to (prove) myself on the top level.”
That is what Bissouma told the BBC, back in September 2021, when asked about a potential move away from The Amex and the standard of club that would turn his head.
With Arsenal also big admirers of Brighton’s Malian maestro, Spurs’ 3-0 derby victory over their North London neighbours will take on added significance if the battle for Bissouma’s signature becomes a two-horse race between a pair of capital city clubs.
Victor Osimhen – Napoli
Napoli fell some way short in their pursuit of the Scudetto. But a seat at Europe’s top table is some consolation prize. And Osimhen, with his ruthless finishing skills and gravity-defying leap, was perhaps the biggest reason why Luciano Spalletti’s thrilling-yet-flawed Partenopei side stuck around in the title race for as long as they did.
According to The Sunday Mirror (01/05, page 74), Osimhen has ruled out Newcastle United already. He will only leave Napoli for another club capable of offering him Champions League football.
Tottenham’s top four finish – coupled with ENIC’s £150 million investment – makes a potential club-record deal for the Nigeria international centre-forward far more likely than it otherwise might have been.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic – Lazio
Just last week, a player never too far away from the gossip columns ensured that he would once again be the subject of intense speculation during yet another summer.
“My goal is always the Champions League,” Milinkovic-Savic said. “But sometimes you have to be realistic.”
Fifth in Serie A – one place ahead of Roma – represents a respectable return for Lazio in Maurizio Sarri’s debut season. But, approaching his prime at 27 and with just two years left on his contract, Milinkovic-Savic is starting to look like a player at a crossroads. The time for difficult decisions is approaching, and fast.
It’s almost criminal that a player of his quality has only ever graced Europe’s biggest stage on seven occasions.
Gabriel Jesus – Manchester City
The Brazilian’s agent told Fabrizio Romano a couple of weeks ago that talks between Manchester City and Arsenal were underway. The presence of a number of Portuguese-speakers in the Gunners squad would certainly ease Jesus’ adaptation to life in the capital. And that’s without mentioning a potential reunion with his former Etihad Stadium coach Mikel Arteta.
But Champions League action a few miles down the road at Spurs may be too good to turn down.
After coming within touching distance of ‘Ol’ Big Ears’ on a number of occasions in City blue, Thursday night football won’t hold much appeal for a player used to live at the very top level.
- How Rangers’ XI could look in 22/23, including 5 new signings
- How West Ham’s XI could look in 22/23 with 4 new signings
Pau Torres – Villarreal
Last summer, the Spain international admitted that he turned down a big-money move to Tottenham. Why? Because he wanted to represent his beloved Villarreal in the Champions League.
Eight months later, having helped steer the Yellow Submarine into the almost uncharted waters of the semi-finals, Torres can consider his mission very much accomplished.
If the prospect European jaunt on the Castellon coast was the only thing holding him back in 2021, Villarreal’s failure to seal a top-four berth this term means there’s not really anything left for Torres to achieve in that iconic yellow shirt.
Did anyone say ‘new challenge’?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
