Tottenham Hotspur wanted to sign Timo Werner when he was a teenager, so should they revive their interest this summer with their rivals now keen?
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino
According to a report from the Daily Mail, Liverpool are interested in signing RB Leipzig’s star striker Timo Werner, who was on Tottenham’s radar two years ago. So should Spurs reignite their interest in the forward before he makes the switch to the Premier League to play for one of their main rivals?
The Telegraph reported in July 2015 that Tottenham were in talks with the 21-year-old, who previous club Stuttgart wanted £8 million for.
Perhaps sensing that paying such a figure was a gamble for a teenager who had hardly been prolific during his time in the Bundesliga, the deal never took place, and he ultimately joined Leipzig last summer.
Like his current side however, he has been a revelation this term. Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men sit second in the table six points clear of Borussia Dortmund, and Werner’s form has been a key reason for their success.
Timo Werner
He has scored 14 times in 23 games, so it is hardly surprising that the Mail believe that Liverpool are interested. But Mauricio Pochettino would surely be making a mistake letting him move elsewhere again, let alone to another English club.
Vincent Janssen would have picked up a big confidence boost by scoring his first Spurs goal from open play at the weekend, but there is still a long way to go before he is ready to be relied upon to cover Harry Kane.
Tottenham’s Harry Kane goes off injured
And with Kane now injured, the Dutchman will really come under the microscope. If he plays and does not do well, or if he is left on the bench over the coming weeks, then it is clear that Pochettino needs another striker in the summer if he wants his side to battle into the latter stages on various fronts next season.
With just one great season behind him, signing Werner would represent a similar sort of gamble to the one that Tottenham took when signing Jansson, but with the Bundesliga arguably a much tougher league than the Eredivisie, it would surely be a much more calculated risk if Spurs reignited their interest and landed him ahead of the Reds.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
