Want some transfer slop to get you through the dark and dreary start of December? Well, I’ve got a piping hot mug of the stuff, courtesy of Sascha Tavolieri and Sky Sports Switzerland. According to Tavolieri, Spurs are one of two Premier League clubs, the other being Liverpool, who are in “advanced talks” with RB Leipzig for the transfer of 19-year-old Ivorian striker Yan Diomonde.
Normally this is the part where I tell you that lol this is a stupid rumor from a not particularly reliable source, and all that is true. Sky’s pretty low on the “tier ratings” and Tavolieri is probably even lower than that. BUT — Yan Diomonde rips, so I want to believe this is a thing.
You say you want a dribbly boi? May I introduce you to The Dribbliest Boi of All?
The sample size is small (just 712 minutes this season), but he has 3g+2a in that short time period, and look at those green bars, people. That’s Actual Production™ in a top five league and he just turned 19. Green bar supremacy doesn’t guarantee success, especially in the Premier League, and I know he’s a young kid that is going to need time to adapt to both the pace and physicality of English football, but holy smokes!
And if you want another data point, check out his FBRef Similar Players list, which when I saw it made my eyes pop out of my head and go AOOOOGAH like a cartoon dog looking at an attractive woman.
Now, look — I know we’re all jaded by the terrible squad management over the past several years. Some of you (yes, you) might even feel a little burned by the other young, talented players Spurs have brought in recently that haven’t exactly set our collective hair on fire. You can also question the wisdom of signing another young attacker when, as currently constructed, Tottenham can’t pass its way out of a paper bag and has a real and concrete need for a dynamic central midfielder. I get that. Diomande is still in that cohort of young players that Spurs should be targeting no matter who the manager is. He’s putting up real numbers for a real team in a real league and is at the point where he hasn’t (yet) inflated his potential transfer fee to absurd numbers. And even if you don’t trust Spurs’ scouting, Liverpool is also involved, and they’re a smart club. We should try and sign some of their targets before they do.
It’s also worth noting that nowhere in this brief report does it say if the targeting for Diomande is this January or next summer. If I had to guess, I’d say we’re working on a pre-agreement for this summer, but I could be wrong. (I sometimes am.)
So, to summarize — an early December transfer rumor, a dubious source, Liverpool is also involved, and there’s no time frame. There’s not exactly a ton to sink your teeth into here. However, this kid rules, and I want this to be true, so I’m putting some votive candles in a circle and sending prayers up to heaven. Let’s manifest this together, fam.