This may or may not be good news depending on your current mental state, how you are feeling or want to feel about Tottenham Hotspur’s current squad, and the time left in the transfer window. But this is interesting, so I’m writing it up. There have been reports in the media, most notably from Alfredo Pedulla, that Tottenham were interested in and actually negotiating for 28-year-old Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. According to Sky’s Michael Bridge, those rumors were wide of the mark.
Look, I’m not a psychologist so I guess you’re free to either be relieved or upset depending on how you’ve interpreted the Rorschach Test that is Tottenham Hotspur transfer rumors. Mateta is 28 and has been actually pretty good for Palace this season (and past seasons) after a slow start. Tottenham also could use a new attacker, especially in the face of constant rumors linking both Mathys Tel and Randal Kolo Muani away from the club this month.
I was open to the idea, but Pedulla in particular is one of those online sources where you read his reporting and think “Hmm I think I’ll wait for David Ornstein.” So that’s why I haven’t written on this yet — it’s just not a reliable source. Now, Sky isn’t exactly Tier 1 for transfer news but Michael Bridge is a real reporter with actual sources close to clubs in England, so I’m inclined to believe this. It also suggests that the Pedulla rumors were likely coming from Mateta’s agent trying to create a false bidding war for him to move to another club this month; Mateta was also linked with a move to Nottingham Forest this month.
So here’s where your interpretation will come into play and will impact how you feel about this. My guess most of you will fall into one of a few camps: those who were okay with this happening and are upset that it now probably won’t, those who were not okay with this happening and are now relieved that it probably won’t, and those who were prepared to be mad at Tottenham no matter what but especially now since it means they’re not signing another player, even one that might not be a good fit.
So pick your champion and have it out in the comments. Meanwhile, the window closes on February 2 and the credible reports of incoming players have mostly dried up. That doesn’t mean Johan Lange and the departing Fabio Paratici don’t have a couple of rabbits they can pull out of their hat that’s currently ensconced in an air-gapped black box below the Tottenham training ground, but it’s all we have to go on for now.
Also, please continue to be skeptical of transfer rumors, especially ones that come from Italian sources that feel weird.