Conor Gallagher arrived at Tottenham from Atletico Madrid.
There have been a few near transfers under Daniel Levy that always have Tottenham supporters looking back and thinking about what could have been.
But it looks like those near misses have not completely gone away, with the Lilywhites’ former business chairman, under-fire Spurs chief Johan Lange, creating a list of his own with a name popping out on the ‘almost’ list who is already making noise in the English top tier.
Tottenham tried signing Rayan in January but Liverpool want him now
It looked like Tottenham were pushing to sign Rayan at the start of the calendar year, but despite multiple links and reports, the North Londoners lost the battle for his signature to Bournemouth, who went on to replace Antoine Semenyo with the 19-year-old Brazilian winger.
It looked like Tottenham had other priorities, like sanctioning a move for a marquee midfielder (as Conor Gallagher joined Tottenham) despite sanctioning a move for Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace without bringing in an ideal replacement (something that surprised a lot of supporters).
While Spurs were focusing on their midfield requirement, Bournemouth pushed for a move and ended up signing Rayan for £25m, a fee that looks quite modest given his performances since moving to Europe.
You cannot say he has quite exploded into a household name just yet, but he has adapted quite quickly and has contributed with goals while showing flashes of quality that make you get on the edge of your seat.
And looking at how he has adapted at Vitality Stadium, Spurs’ big six rival Liverpool are starting to take notice. The Merseysiders are circling around him as Arne Slot & Co. start planning for life after Mohammed Salah. (h/t Sport Witness)
The Cherries have indeed been prepared for such interests, inserting a €100m release clause in his contract already.
Author Opinion
For Tottenham, missing out on him is more frustrating given how the club has fed the fans about all the buy them young policy (which in itself has been a reason why Tottenham are in a relegation battle). And then you go on to miss that one golden talent in the lot. And now a club like Liverpool are in the race looking to pry away his signature, and if that move goes through and he ends up being a kind successor to Salah, then this one should frustrate the Lilywhites’ supporters as much as the Eberechi Eze transfer miss.
Do you think Tottenham missed a big talent by not pushing for his transfer in winter? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.