Tottenham Hotspur are said to be keen to snap up Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona this summer.
Tottenham Hotspur signing Philippe Coutinho looks great on the face of it, but there has to be some question marks over the financial terms of the deal.
Tottenham have generally operated with a prudence in the transfer market, which has frustrated supporters.
The potential deal for Coutinho would, therefore, be completely out of character for Spurs and it does, rather, suggest a hint of desperation.
Coutinho would unquestionable be a brilliant addition to Tottenham’s team, and his arrival would certainly prove their ambition.
Some supporters may argue that Coutinho is exactly the sort of player that Spurs need to be signing, whatever the costs involved.
However, having an out of form player for just one season at that price would have to be put down as a major risk.
If Coutinho gets back to his best at White Hart Lane, then Tottenham would only put his price-tag out of their reach at the end of the season, if they did want to sign him on a permanent transfer.
They would, therefore, be in the same position that they are now next year – as they would have to search for another attacking midfielder.
Tottenham would have paid a large fee, and high wages, to effectively rent a player for a season.
Spurs have been reluctant to spend big on either Giovani Lo Celso or Bruno Fernandes this summer, but there is surely more logic in spending £60 million to sign one of the pair permanently than there is in outlaying over a third of that just to have Coutinho for a season.
And even though the potential transfer of the Brazilian looks seriously exciting, there are still big question marks around it for Tottenham.
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