It seemed fairly clear after Ange Postecoglou’s remarks towards the end of last season that Tottenham were going to need to make a splash in the summer transfer market.
A more than decent start to the 2023/24 campaign meant that the drop-off in quality, application and general standard of performance was disappointing for the Australian to say the least.
Though the North London outfit have often been accused of bottling it for want of a better term, Postecoglou seems dead set on changing the mindset at the club, even arguing with a supporter during Spurs’ match against Man City towards the end of the season.
Tottenham hoping to land Bellingham
‘Spursy’ is a tag that’s often been levelled at them when the club have been unable to achieve their aims, and that surely must unconsciously play a part in all aspects, both from a player’s point of view when deciding to join or not, and more generally.
Tottenham are one of a clutch of Premier League clubs that have been credited with an interest in Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham, the younger brother of Real Madrid star, Jude.
The 18-year-old is emerging as a brilliant player in his own right, but the Lilywhites, Brentford, Crystal Palace and other clubs look set to be disappointed in their pursuit of the player.
That’s because, according to The Guardian (subscription required), Black Cats owner, Kyril Louis Dreyfus, is loathe to lose Bellingham and has slapped at least a £20m bounty on his head.
That might not be enough to put off interested parties, and if Postecoglou pushes hard enough there could be a slight possibility that Daniel Levy will accede to his wishes.
After all, the Australian generally hit the spot in terms of his targets last season, with Micky van der Ven sensational for the most part.