The Mirror have today reported on the growing interest in the Spurs midfielder Alex Pritchard.
Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Pritchard is not in his plans for the coming season, having left him out of the Tottenham squad for their friendlies in Australia.
Injuries ruined Pritchard’s chance to establish himself at White Hart Lane last season, after he returned from the club from a hugely successful loan spell at Brentford in 2014-15.
Pritchard scored 12 goals from midfield for Brentford and unsurprisingly a host of Championship sides are lining up to recruit a player who could make a real difference at that level. Leeds, Newcastle and Norwich and amongst the clubs hoping to sign him on loan.
Yet there is also Premier League interest, with Swansea said to be considering a move for Pritchard. Spurs value the 23-year old at £8m and while Swansea reputedly consider that too much, there could surely be some room for negotiation.
As long as there is a chance of Tottenham selling Pritchard for a fee, any club hoping to grab him on loan will surely have to wait. With so many suitors for the talented playmaker, Spurs can afford to wait for bids, safe in the knowledge that they can always loan him out at the last minute.
If the likes of Leeds and Newcastle really want to land a player who could help them win promotion, they’d be advised to consider a permanent deal rather than hoping to borrow Pritchard on the cheap.
Well, if he is valued at £8 million, that rules Leeds out of buying him! Only cheapies or loans are on Cellino’s shopping list – he still believes you can get promotion on a shoestring – even though we have seen no improvement in our league position since he arrived, in fact we have gone backwards. Delusional springs to mind!
Spurs would be completely mad to sell their best young talent. It would be the worst transfer mistake of Spurs history.