Tottenham Hotspur failed with multiple signing attempts during the January window, with Luis Diaz, who went to Liverpool, and Adama Traore, who signed for Barcelona on loan, the two best known transfer failures.
There wasn’t a great deal Spurs could do about the Diaz situation. Despite talk of agent commission issues, and Jorge Mendes getting involved where he perhaps wasn’t welcome, it had been made clear for months in Portugal that when Diaz left FC Porto he wanted to make sure he signed for a club at the very top.
Liverpool are that, and have shown in recent seasons that they can regularly challenge for trophies. Therefore, Antonio Conte can’t be too angry that Jurgen Klopp beat him to it.
The Adama Traore case is slightly different, and Mundo Deportivo cover that on Tuesday. After the player had a good debut against Atletico Madrid, he’s receiving widespread praise, with some of it perhaps going a little over the top.
Mundo have him on their front page, and inside they explain it was the 26-year-old’s great desire to return to Barcelona which made a loan deal possible.
A move to Tottenham was ‘well advanced’, Spurs offered him a ‘great contract that fixed him for life’, and everything was on the way to being concluded.
However, Ansu Fati picking up another injury, and Moussa Dembele refusing to renew, made the signing attractive for Barcelona. At other times the club wouldn’t have considered such a loan deal, but their finances meant the option had to be looked at.
That was lucky for the player, who got the return opportunity he’d long wanted, and not so lucky for Tottenham, who made every effort but had timing and fate work against them.
