Tottenham Hotspur still have the transfer pull to have beaten over 20 clubs for the signature of a highly-rated young prospect – including arch-rivals Arsenal.
Last season, Lilywhites manager Ange Postecoglou spoke exclusively to FourFourTwo to reveal a few of his secrets, including how he believes it's “hard to get recruitment wrong” at the top level when it comes to signing players. The Australian has overseen a major rebuild since the club lost top scorer and talisman Harry Kane, ranked at no.6 in FourFourTwo's list of the best players in the world right now, with 17 permanent incomings made under his watch.
But despite the poor form that has seen odds mount on Postecoglou's successor, Tottenham are still seen as an attractive enough prospect that stars turn down the elite of Europe to join Postecoglou's project.
Tottenham pipped the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Barcelona, Juventus, Atalanta, RB Leipzig, Ajax and Dortmund to major signing
“I mean first, I don’t see them as players – they’re people,” Postecoglou told FourFourTwo last year. “Particularly when you get to this level, there are so many wonderfully talented players around the world. People talk about recruiting, but it’s pretty hard to get it wrong as they’re all so good.
“It’s more about the fit. Do they fit into the football we want to play? Are they the right kind of personality? That’s a big one for me – with the way we play, you need to have a certain mindset as an individual, to be brave and to want to challenge yourself on a daily basis.”
It would seem this approach worked nicely with Swedish schemer Lucas Bergvall, according to a report from Fotboll Direkt.
The midfielder was tracked by a whopping 24 clubs with Champions League regulars Arsenal, Juventus and Barcelona all in the mix for the star alongside clubs more renowned for youth development, like Ajax, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig.
Bergvall eventually signed for Tottenham in February of last year, with a pitch from Postecoglou, ranked at no.36 in FourFourTwo's list of the best managers in the world right now, though to be pivotal to his decision to sign for the club for a fee believed to be around £8.5 million, as per the BBC.
FourFourTwo understands that this is a path that Spurs intend to follow regardless of the Australian's future as manager.
The likes of Archie Gray, Ashley Phillips and Alejo Veliz have joined in the past few windows to strengthen the North Londoners' young core, as the club look to compete with rich rivals by spending a fraction in comparison. Gray, for example, has been a huge hit and is ranked at no.22 in FourFourTwo's list of the most exciting teenagers to watch this season.
Bergvall is worth €12m, according to Transfermarkt. Spurs take on Brentford this weekend when Premier League action returns.
