Tottenham Hotspur were linked with Michael Keane, Davy Klaassen and Gylfi Sigurdsson during the summer, but the trio all signed for Everton.
Tottenham take on Everton in their first game back following the international break this weekend, and while the fact that deadline day signings Fernando Llorente and Serge Aurier could be in line to make their debuts, there is another reason that Spurs’ transfer business is about to come under significant scrutiny.
The game at Goodison Park on Saturday will see Mauricio Pochettino’s men come up against a side that enjoyed an incredibly busy window – and potentially come up against a side consisting of a few players that Pochettino will know very well.
The Telegraph reported back in April that Spurs wanted Michael Keane, then of Burnley, while The Telegraph also reported one month later that Davy Klaassen was a player attracting plenty of attention from Tottenham.
Then in July, the London Evening Standard reported that Pochettino also wanted to bring Gylfi Sigurdsson back to the club after his excellent spell at Swansea City.
Of course, in the end, none of the trio arrived at Tottenham during the summer months, and instead all moved to Everton – which means that they could all be in line to feature against one of the sides that wanted them during the recent months.
If the trio end up playing at the weekend and each end up going on to play a blinder then perhaps it would be fair to question Spurs’ decision to not work harder to beat Everton in the race to sign them.
However, if the trio do not play particularly well and Tottenham end up picking up their second win of the campaign, then perhaps Pochettino can reflect that the club’s business was smart.
And their business will look even more impressive if the likes of Aurier and Davinson Sanchez help Spurs keep a clean sheet, while Llorente makes a positive impact at the other end of the pitch.
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