Tottenham Table £5m Bid for Moussa Dembélé

Should the tatter coming out of London be believed, it would appear as if Tottenham might finally convince Fulham to part with their promising young striker Moussa Dembélé to the tune of £5 million.

Just two days ago the word was that Fulham were opposed to selling their budding young striker Moussa Dembélé to Tottenham if a loan agreement for the rest of the season were not included in the deal. The Championship club are languishing in 19th place at the moment and need all the help they can get when it comes to scoring goals.

That stipulation seemed to be a deal breaker, as Tottenham’s need for a backup striker for Harry Kane is immediate. The club seemed to cool on Dembélé and, not coincidentally, rumors of a renewed pursuit of Saido Berahino returned almost immediately.

So what’s changed between Tuesday and Thursday? The answer probably lies mostly in the cool £12 million Newcastle paid for Andros Townsend, a deal that was confirmed on Wednesday. That sum of money allows for Tottenham to make a more attractive bid for Dembélé, one that is rumored to include a generous amount of incentives on top of the initial £5 million. Considering the fact that, were Fulham to hold onto Dembélé without a deal being in place, they would get precisely nothing when his contract expires in the summer, that’s a pretty good deal.

As Alex Balano spoke about yesterday, Fulham’s outlook going forward isn’t exactly promising. Beyond their perilous position in the Championship and the fact that they are unable to convince their best players – like Dembélé – to sign new contracts, they were also ruled to be in violation of Financial Fair Play rules in December. As a result they are prohibited from any incoming transfers in the current transfer window. For the average club that might not be the most crippling punishment. As Fulham desperately seek to avoid a second relegation in three seasons though, they would clearly have preferred to have the option to bring in reinforcements at the season’s midway point.

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As it stands, selling Dembélé now might actually help alleviate Fulham’s problems in this regard. While the £5 million plus they’ll get from Tottenham won’t help them rise out of the mire they currently find themselves in, potential loan moves would.

While such arrangements haven’t been explicitly mentioned in connection with Tottenham’s interest in Dembélé, it’s entirely conceivable that the club sends a loan or two in the opposite direction. Loan deals are not prohibited under their current transfer embargo, so Fulham would do well to jump at the chance to reinforce even on a temporary basis.

A recently fit again Alex Pritchard already proved his mettle in the Championship as he helped Brentford come close to an immediate promotion into the Premier League after having just been promoted to the Championship the season prior. Assuming he is able to recover quickly from his ankle issue, he could lend his talents to a Cottagers survival campaign in the latter half of their season.

Harry Winks or Josh Onomah could also be options, though the latter has been a regular presence on Tottenham’s bench this season and seems to be in Pochettino’s rotation plans. Being able to offer those players in return for relatively cheap deals for the likes of Dembélé is one of the many advantages of having a prodigious and talented pool of academy players. Plus it gives valuable minutes to players who might not otherwise break into Premier League play this season.

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Fulham could then stand to acquire the funds to refit in the summer, plus the chance at a lifeline for their current season. It makes sense that they might change their minds after Tottenham were able to sweeten the pot.

From Tottenham’s perspective, spending a mere £5 million initially on Dembélé looks like one more potential coup. They get their cover for Kane for the time being, plus the chance to mold another promising young player into Pochettino’s system over the remainder of the term.

Everybody wins.