If there was any attempt on Tottenham’s part to sign Willian from Shakhtar Donetsk, the quest ultimately ended in failure as the Brazilian international took the big bucks from Anzhi Makhachkala with a transfer fee in the region of 35 million euros.
However, there is some exceptional talent throughout that Ukrainian club side and rumours emerging in the last 24 hours claim that Spurs are considering an approach for Shakhtar’s Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
According to the local press, Tottenham have already made an approach for the 24 year old with a view to following up with a summer offer for a player who is under contract until 2015.
Mkhitaryan is an unlikely link but he’s an interesting player: An attacking midfielder, his goal scoring record would be the envy of most strikers and during his time at Donetsk, he has found the net 32 times in 63 games.
Admittedly, Shakhtar are running away with things domestically and players throughout the side are queuing up to shoot but Mkhitaryan also has two in eight Champions League games this season, plus ten in 36 full internationals for Armenia so he clearly knows where the goal is.
Whether this is any more than paper talk remains to be seen but over the coming months, Spurs will be linked to worse players than Henrikh Mkhitaryan.