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Tottenham’s Champions League qualification could loosen the purse strings for Ange Postecoglou
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Tottenham Hotspur had to wait 17 years and four finals to win a trophy, so they could be forgiven if Ange Postecoglou and Daniel Levy delay a couple of days before diving back into the club’s plans for the summer transfer window.
But that long-awaited victory over Manchester United to lift the Europa League means there’s now a Champions League campaign to prepare for as well as the inevitable push to improve on sitting one place above the Premier League relegation zone. The good news is that the windfall from Bilbao could rise above £100m, and bringing in a world class striker would be a bold statement of intent to signal a new, aggressive and trophy-laden era at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Victor Osimhen’s protracted and at times head-scratching transfer saga has meant several clubs including Chelsea and PSG have cooled their interest in the 26-year-old. Manchester United are still keen but without the carrot of European football, or the associated boost in transfer budget, this £63 million situation is ripe for an old-fashioned hijack.
How Victor Osimhen can help Spurs reach the next level
Despite the ridicule about their bare trophy cabinet, Tottenham have been one of the most stable Premier League clubs of the last 15 years. Prior to this season, only Manchester City had recorded more Premier League top-seven finishes since 2009/10 while Spurs have also moved up from 15th in the Deloitte Money League to be ever-present in the top 10 since the opening of their new stadium. You’ll never sing that.
But before the final whistle in Bilbao, some Tottenham fans would’ve traded all of that for West Ham’s turbulent decade-and-a-half that at least netted them the Conference League in 2023. Now with the money-spinning spaceship of a stadium and a manager famed for his track record of winning trophies, times could finally be about to change and Osimhen’s arrival would reinforce that feeling.
While he’s not quite Harry Kane in terms of dropping deep to link build-up play, Osimhen would still be a useful outlet for Postecoglou’s side and his famed athleticism would suit an otherwise lightweight Tottenham team well. Their entire system is designed to create space in front of or between opposition back-lines through lightning link-up play and there can be few better players in world football to receive the ball on the edge of the penalty area facing a stretched defence.
Spurs also excel on the break and have scored the second-most goals from counter attacks this Premier League season - with Osimhen they’d be hard to keep away from top spot. The Nigerian’s hefty £400,000-a-week wage demands wouldn’t be a natural fit for the infamously frugal Daniel Levy, but the opportunity to land Tottenham’s biggest-name signing in at least a generation who’s hit 112 goals since 2020 shouldn’t be passed up lightly.
After a rough final season at Napoli in terms of fitness, Osimhen has missed just six games at Galatasaray through injury to ease understandable concerns about how he’d fare in Postecoglou’s punishing system. And as a further bonus, don’t forget that the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2027 will take place in June rather than January so there isn’t even that absence to consider.
The release clause that plays in Tottenham Hotspurs’ favour
Osimhen has a €75 million release clause but that only applies to clubs outside of Italy, a detail with the ability to put Tottenham in pole position for the race to capture Osimhen. Manchester United were pursuing Osimhen but Brennan Johnson’s 42nd-minute goal may have dealt the Red Devils a double-blow, as Ruben Amorim was already questioning the likelihood of affording Osimhen’s wage demands before the final.
Now Manchester United are confirmed as missing out on European football for the second time in 35 years, that deal is likely dead in the water especially with Viktor Gyokeres willing to work for half that salary. Likewise Chelsea have been put off by Osimhen’s wage demands even as they control their fate for Champions League qualification and have the chance to land a major bonus of £100m if they perform well at the expanded Club World Cup this summer.
The Blues are favouring an approach in the transfer market akin to the philosophy that’s fired PSG to the Champions League final: still spend big but on a young core that will flourish together, rather than building an all-star team of established players. Guaranteeing Osimhen one of the highest salaries in European football would also shatter Chelsea’s wage structure.
That means Juventus would be Spurs’ biggest rivals, but Postecoglou is aided by Osimhen’s release clause not applying to Serie A clubs. That means the Old Lady is preparing a €85m bid for the star Super Eagle, but sending the 2022/23 Paolo Rossi Award winner abroad may still be the more attractive option to Napoli and Tottenham should be ready to pounce if that’s the case.