Tottenham Hotspur were linked to Anthony Martial all summer.
Throughout the summer Anthony Martial was linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur.
With Spurs demolishing Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford on Monday evening and Martial not even on the bench, Martial would be forgiven for having some regrets the move did not go through.
For Spurs, it would have been a truly expensive luxury.
The Daily Mail reported United wanted £80 million for Martial, a figure Tottenham could have brought down had they negotiated to include Toby Alderweireld as a swap deal.
Cash, or player plus cash, it would have been a huge amount for Spurs to give up and it is understandable they chose to stick, rather than twist.
It does not help that Martial’s form in 2019 has been poor.
He could have few complaints about missing out on France’s World Cup squad after ending last season poorly.
This season he has played only once in the defeat to Brighton, in which he was terrible.
It raises the point that Martial would not even be guaranteed a starting place at Tottenham – emphasised by Lucas Moura’s impressive performance in midweek.
Martial moving to Spurs would have offered him no certainties, and amid reports in The Times he now wants to sign a new deal at United, the small window of opportunity may have passed club and player by, with Tottenham no worse of for it.
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