If given the choice between selling a player to Chelsea and biting off his right hand, Daniel Levy would reach for the salt and pepper and start chewing.
The bad feeling between Tottenham Hotspur and their London rivals continues to linger, almost a decade after Willian performed a U-turn so sudden and unexpected that it saw relations between two of the Premier League’s biggest clubs crumble into dust.
As Spurs established themselves as a domestic force under Mauricio Pochettino, the chances of anyone leaving N17 for SW6 declined ever further.
After all, why would Tottenham let, say, a Harry Kane, a Kyle Walker or a Christian Eriksen join a club who were competing with them at the summit of the Premier League table?
With Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat at Burnley ruining all the momentum Tottenham had built up following that dramatic late win against Manchester City four days earlier, Spurs can only dream of trading blows with Chelsea these days.
If Thomas Tuchel’s European champions are a heavyweight brawler, then what are Tottenham right now? Five places and 11 points separate the two clubs, in third and eighth.
Where will Cameron Carter-Vickers go this summer?
In truth, the Tottenham of 2022 are sharing a ring with West Ham rather than Chelsea these days. The Hammers finished above their near neighbours last season and could do so again this.
So while Cameron Carter-Vickers is hardly a key cog in Antonio Conte’s malfunctioning machine – he hasn’t even made a Premier League appearance in Spurs colours – selling the USA international to West Ham feels like a risk that just isn’t worth taking.
Carter-Vickers has come on leaps and bounds during his latest loan spell after all, blossoming under Ange Postecoglou. He’s more mature, more reliable. And, thanks to Postecoglou’s possession-based approach, he’s made huge improvements in terms of his passing range too.
By the time his spell at Celtic comes to an end, the £10 million-rated centre-back could have a Scottish Premiership winners’ medal to go with his recent League Cup triumph.
Carter-Vickers’ impressive development north of the border hasn’t gone unnoticed either. TEAMtalk reports that West Ham are interested. As are Wolves, Leicester City, Watford and Burnley.
From Spurs to West Ham?
Now, Tottenham may not see a future for Carter-Vickers under Conte but the prospect of selling a player to a club sitting three places ahead of them in the Premier League table just isn’t worth the risk. Even if West Ham weren’t one of Tottenham’s most hated rivals, these feels like a deal with more pitfalls than positives.
After all, the prospect of West Ham securing a Champions League spot at Tottenham’s expense is bad enough. Imagine how it will feel if it’s Carter-Vickers leading them there.
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