Like Usain Bolt heading into the final 50m, Daniel Levy sees the end of the transfer window approaching and is starting to pick up the pace. There are signs of the pursestrings being loosened at last. That clinking sound you can hear is Levy rustling around his wallet for some loose change. The increased urgency may have something to do with *that* Danny Rose interview last week, in which the left-back helpfully wondered if Tottenham Hotspur might like to show him and his team-mates the money. But maybe it’s just a coincidence that Tottenham look like they may mean business.
Mauricio Pochettino could be the proud owner of three new signings soon. Manchester United looked to be leading the race for the mild-mannered Paris Saint-Germain right-back Serge Aurier but Tottenham are the Ivorian’s likeliest destination now. And the fun doesn’t stop there. Tottenham just need to agree a fee with Ajax for their Colombian centre-back Davinson Sánchez, while Pochettino has identified Celta Vigo’s Pape Cheikh Diop as his top midfield target. That should all be enough to keep Rose happy, shouldn’t it? Right? See that, Danny? Three new players. Satisfied? Danny?
Er, maybe not. For it seems that Tottenham may well be hunting a new left-back soon. That’s if Chelsea have anything to do about it. The champions are preparing a £30m bid for Rose as they look to placate Antonio Conte, who currently has the seething demeanour of a man who’s just heard someone ask for pineapple on their pizza. Roman Abramovich is said to be preparing a £120m splurge in response to Chelsea’s opening-day humbling by Burnley. Southampton’s new Chinese owners could soon be receiving bids for Virgil van Dyk and Cedric Soares, while Leicester City’s Danny Drinkwater could be on his way to Stamford Bridge. However Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain wants Chelsea to pay him £150,000 a week before considering a move.
Arsène Wenger wants to keep Oxlade-Chamberlain but the Arsenal manager is unlikely to be resistant if Aston Villa try to sign Jack Wilshere on loan. Steve Bruce wants the midfielder at Villa Park, although the Villa manager may not be long for the job after a poor start to the season.
Frustrated in their attempts to sign Sporting Lisbon’s William Carvalho, West Ham United have turned their attention to Porto’s Danilo Pereira, while Juventus reckon Marouane Fellaini could be the new Andrea Pirlo. In so many ways.
