Twenty in February, Bryan Gil Salvatierra looks set to arrive in London after Tottenham part with €25million and one Erik Lamela. Already the chitter-chatter has built this deal up as short-term thinking by Sevilla, and a fabulous opportunity for Tottenham.
The reality of the situation is that this is, with the best will in the world, another punt. Please don’t mistake this as disdain for Bryan, he looks to be a decent prospect, but these are extremely early days.
If we avert our gaze from the YouTube compilations for a moment and look at the facts, we have a very young player who has just made his breakthrough season of sorts, with 28 starts for Eibar where he’s been on loan. Of those games, Bryan was subbed off 10 times and subbed on on two occasions.
What we’re looking at here is a possible understudy to the 29-year-old Heung Min-Son, and right now, nothing more.
Whilst I’m in no way down on the acquisition, if money is in short supply, and the markets so compressed, I question the merit of not addressing perhaps more pressing matters such as our defense. Perhaps those deals are already wrapped up, and we haven’t been gifted that news as yet. Or perhaps the notion that punts win prizes still rules over the decision-making at Tottenham Hotspur.