Tottenham supporters in the Transfer Tavern are relishing the remainder of the summer transfer window following the news that manager Mauricio Pochettino has signed a new long-term deal with the club.
The Argentine took over at the North London outfit back in 2014 after impressing in a short stint in charge of Southampton, and he has since transformed Spurs into one of the best teams in the country by leading them to three successive top four finishes in the Premier League. And while the 46-year-old has yet to deliver a trophy in his four years at the helm, several of our resident Spurs supporters are convinced that he is the man to do just that in the near future.
Subsequently, there are many excited Tottenham fans in the Tavern at present, several of whom are likely to be interested by recent reports suggesting that Spurs will have to pay £48 million for target Matthijs de Ligt this summer.
And were chairman Daniel Levy and the club’s hierarchy to bulk at that asking price, they should turn to plan B and seek to land £22.5 million-rated ace Harry Maguire (as per Transfermarkt).
Ultimately, 18-year-old de Ligt has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the last 12 months at Dutch giants Ajax, with the centre back nailing down a regular place in the starting eleven with a string of impressive performances.
In fact, the youngster has already earned seven senior caps for the Netherlands to underline the huge amount of talent and potential he has, which makes it unsurprising that Ajax are commanding a hefty fee for the 18-year-old’s services.
And while £48 million might well be the going rate for a centre back with a huge future, Spurs may not be keen on paying that for someone who may not be a regular first teamer next season, and as such Pochettino should have a plan B in place to go after Leicester City’s Maguire.
He, like de Ligt, has enjoyed a fine 12 months in going from a relegated Hull City side to a likely starter for England at this summer’s World Cup, all as a result of a mightily impressive season with Claude Puel’s Leicester.
The 25-year-old started all 38 of their Premier League games this term and was rewarded for his high-level of consistency with the club’s Player of the Season award, with Maguire proving his adeptness as both an out-and-out defender, and as one comfortable with the ball at his feet.
And with Spurs likely to lose Toby Alderweireld this summer, the more proven and more experienced Premier League defender in Maguire may well be the perfect plan B in case they cannot or do not pursue a deal for de Ligt this summer.
Tottenham fans… what do you think? Let us know!
