If anyone is in any doubt about the way Daniel Levy has wreaked havoc through the transfer dealings of the club and the consequences of his actions, it’s vividly portrayed in this saga.
On the one hand, we have Paratici/Conte getting players in time for pre-season training and the tour, with a view that we will field our best side come season kick-off, on the other we have Levy faffing around with a player who has not done the same high-level training, has not integrated with the squad on tour and not been coached in the playing style Conte wants and how he’ll fit into it.
How many times have we started the season with the squad barely introduced to new players (when we actually got anyone over the line)? It’s just as well they have names on the shirts, really.
Additionally, this kid Spence is being built up to be something really special; “unbelievable” is the term being bandied about. He may be a damned good prospect, but how damaging is it to him to be built up the way he has been, largely due to the protracted negotiations that have elevated him to such a level of expectation?
We may well buy this kid but have already screwed him over by creating a scenario where he is behind his teammates in terms of fitness, knowledge of tactics/strategy, familiarity with the players around him and how they play, and an albatross called “unbelievable” around his neck. Remember, he’s a kid who is stepping up from a much lower standard to what is pretty much the pinnacle of professional football.
By the time this gets done, IF it gets done, Bissouma, Richarlison, etc., will be integrated into the squad, he’ll be an outsider, but Danny boy will have saved Three Pounds and Seventy Two Pence (amortized over a five-year contract).