Tottenham made big mistake not signing West Brom’s Jay Rodriguez

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Tottenham Hotspur were reportedly interested in signing Jay Rodriguez this summer, and they may rue not getting anything done.

It was reported by the Burnley Express in August that Tottenham were one of the sides interested in handing Jay Rodriguez an immediate opportunity to return to the Premier League following West Brom’s relegation.

Rodriguez was actually one of the players who emerged from the Baggies’ season with some credit, having performed well and contributed seven league goals at The Hawthorns.

It was a surprise therefore, that no team decided to meet West Brom’s asking price, despite the report from the Express suggesting that they were looking for £18 million.

And based on the striker’s start to the campaign, it would appear that it was a mistake for Mauricio Pochettino to not sign Rodriguez when he had the chance to this summer.

Any shine surrounding Tottenham’s start has disappeared completely. Three straight wins have been followed by three consecutive defeats in all competitions, and there is now plenty of pressure on Pochettino’s men heading into the weekend’s clash with Brighton.

What does not help their situation is the fact that Harry Kane looks well short of his best at the moment, having not scored since the victory at Manchester United last month.

He appears to be in desperate need of a rest, but with Pochettino hardly having any inspired options to turn to, he could be forced to stick with their talisman in the hope that he does not play at all during next month’s international break.

The situation however, could have been largely avoided had they signed Rodriguez. Not only would the former Southampton man be a great option to feature in the system that Pochettino has used this term involving a front two, but he could have also been a very decent striker to come in and take some of the pressure off of Kane.

He may now be playing in the Championship, but six goals in eight games at the start of this season suggests that he could have been well worth the £18 million had Spurs met the asking price, especially when you consider the attacking players who would be playing alongside him in Pochettino’s side.

After the struggles that Vincent Janssen and Fernando Llorente have endured over the last couple of years, it is understandable that Spurs were reluctant to spend an eight-figure fee on another striker this past summer. But given Rodriguez’s brilliant form this term as well as Kane’s current struggles, hindsight suggests that it was a mistake not signing the 29-year-old as an understudy.