We’ve known for a while that Tottenham Hotspur were going to have to be creative in the transfer market this summer.
It was obvious for most of last season that Spurs weren’t going to qualify for the Champions League and avail of the financial benefits of securing entry to that competition.
And when the global health emergency struck, Tottenham, who moved into a £1 billion stadium in 2019, were in a far more precarious position financially.
Consequently, chairman Daniel Levy took a loan of £200 million to protect the club in June and it was a clear sign that if the Lilywhites spend money this summer, it wouldn’t be much.
Bargains were the order of the day for Levy – and he’s about to pull off another cracker.
According to talkSPORT, Tottenham are set to sign Matt Doherty from Wolves for £12 million.
Bear in mind the North Londoners have already signed Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg for effectively £3 million (he joined for £15 million but Kyle Walker-Peters went the other way for £12 million) and if a deal for the Irishman comes off, that’s a net spend of £15 million on both players.
Doherty, who scored five goals from right-back last term, is a bonafide star for Wolves, and Hojbjerg was Southampton’s captain. It isn’t as if they’re both rejects at lesser Premier League clubs.
Levy hasn’t had to pull off that many bargains in recent years, because the money was there – £63 million on Tanguy Ndombele, £42 million on Davinson Sanchez – but if and when Doherty goes through, it’s a reminder that the Spurs chief still has the know-how to get the club through very rocky periods.
He hasn’t always been a popular figure among Tottenham fans, but these moves ought to remind the naysayers that he’s a tremendous asset for the club nonetheless.
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