Tottenham Hotspur backed away from any move for Michy Batshuayi on deadline day.
Tottenham Hotspur ended the January transfer window without any signings, despite fans crying out for a new striker to be brought in.
A major ankle injury to Harry Kane has left Spurs short up top, though Fernando Llorente has filled in well and Son Heung-min’s return has been perfect.
A number off attacking players were linked with Spurs though, and one of the hot names close to the deadline was that of Chelsea’s Michy Batshuayi.
The Mirror reported that Batshuayi wanted a move to Spurs, but the £8million loan fee Chelsea were demanding from their bitter rivals resulted in Spurs backing away.
Batshuayi ended up joining Crystal Palace on loan for nowhere near that £8million, and Spurs were right to not play right into Chelsea’s hands.
Spurs knew full well that Batshuayi was available to other clubs for a much reduced fee, and paying over the odds on deadline day is something that Daniel Levy would loathe.
Batshuayi would have been an ideal signing really, offering another goal threat, and his U-turn would have been appealing too, given that Spurs wanted him last January but he snubbed them, according to BBC Sport.
Yet Chelsea knew what they were doing. They had no use for Batshuayi and wanted to offload him, but didn’t want to risk him strengthening a massive rival, so quoted Spurs ludicrous figure that no other club would have to pay.
Other clubs may have been tempted, but despite Batshuayi being perfect for Spurs as another attacking option, Pochettino and co were right to say no and save their money for a potential permanent signing this summer, as well as not giving Chelsea the satisfaction of striking a vastly exorbitant deal in the dying embers of deadline day.
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