In 2006, Andriy Shevchenko broke the British transfer record with a £30.8m move to Chelsea. 14 years ago that was an elite sum of money, nowadays it hardly makes headlines.
Roman Abramovich brought big money to the Premier League, and then along came Manchester City with an even bigger pot of cash to splash.
Even Tottenham, despite putting money aside to build £1bn stadium, have broken the bank.
£30million seemed like so much money, and in reality, it still is.
With that in mind, we take a look at Tottenham’s £30million men, and how they’ve gotten on.
Moussa Sissoko – £31.5m from Newcastle (2016)
Eyebrows were raised all over England when Spurs broke their transfer record to sign Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko.
The midfielder was hardly a world beater as part of the Magpies side that was relegated in 2015/16, but Tottenham offered him a Premier League lifeline and a tonne of cash all the same.
Four years later and he looks like money well spent, having become one of the club’s most reliable men for the big occasion.
Sissoko has turned into one of the most versatile box-to-box midfielders in the game. While he often struggles with injury, he was absolutely vital in helping the club to last season’s Champions League final. Spurs are a much better side with him and Jose Mourinho will hope to have him handy for his first full season in charge.
Davinson Sanchez - £36m from Ajax (2017)
Davinson Sanchez was developing a brilliant reputation as part of a young Ajax side that reached the 2017 Europa League final.
The defender was so good that he went from playing in the Colombian first division to Champions League football in just two years as Spurs spent big to bring him to north London. But while Sanchez has shown his class at times, he has not quite fulfilled the potential he showed in the Eredevisie.
Luckily, he’s only 24 years old, and with Jan Vertonghen gone Sanchez now has the chance to cement his place in the first XI after spending the last two seasons on rotation. Could still become one of the world’s best in his position.
And if anyone can make a world class defender of him, it’s Jose Mourinho.
Tanguy Ndombele - £54m from Lyon (2019)
Spurs’ record signing is fast becoming one of their worst.
Ndombele turned heads all over Europe last season with a series of dominant displays from central midfield. Mauricio Pochettino brought him in to take Tottenham to the next level after they fell agonisingly short in the Champions League final. But 12 months after arriving he can barely make the squad.
Mourinho has publicly questioned the Frenchman’s attitude, while there are reports the 22-year-old is desperate for a route out of London.
But Spurs will want to make their money back and in these difficult times, they’d be lucky to find a buyer. Mourinho and Spurs fans will hope that they can still get the best out of the player. He’s still young, so who knows, but so far his time at Spurs has been a major disappointment considering just how much they paid for him.
