Only yesterday it looked as if Brighton had more or less wrapped up a deal to sign Alex Pritchard, but it now seems as if they have some competition for the attacking midfielder’s signature.
The Argus – a Brighton-based newspaper – reports that Norwich have hijacked the deal at the eleventh hour, after the Seagulls had agreed both a fee with Spurs and personal details with Pritchard.
They claim that Norwich will offer a higher salary, leaving Brighton’s hopes of landing Pritchard on manager Chris Hughton’s plans to use him as a number 10, playing behind a lone striker.
It is thought that Brighton had agreed a deal that could rise to £8m, which was the fee that Tottenham have been holding out for. Should Norwich and potentially other clubs join the race, it offers the club the opportunity to negotiate a better deal, that is less reliant on performance-based payment.
The one thing that seems certain is that Pritchard should be gone pretty soon. With Federico Fazio seemingly on his way to Roma this week, Mauricio Pochettino is beginning to get rid of the unwanted players in his squad.
Spurs should only sell with a clause to bring him back. It is ridiculous that they are selling him. He would be a fantastic player for us, if he was given a chance.
This must be one of the dumbest transfer decisions of all time.