Tottenham will resume hunt of Sandro Ramirez in the summer
By Ryan Wrenn
It appears as if Tottenham will return for a man they missed out on as they haphazardly clamored for depth in the 2016 summer transfer window.
Though Tottenham ultimately secured the signature of Vincent Janssen, Sandro Ramírez was rumored to be high on the club’s priorities following the 2015/16 season.
The striker’s relative lack of experience — and goals — were concerns, but those risks were mitigated by the fact that he would come to the club for free.
Sandro came up through Barcelona’s La Masia academy, and even made it to the first team level, but ultimately the Spanish giants felt he wasn’t up to their standard. He was declined a new contract, and several clubs came calling.
Ultimately it was Malaga who won out, and Sandro arrived at the La Liga side as an automatic starter.
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Malaga’s confidence in the 21-year-old was quickly rewarded. Despite missing over a month due to a hamstring injury, Sando has scored 13 goals over 27 appearances, making him Malaga’s top scorer.
A modest haul compared to Harry Kane perhaps, but a respectable start considering this was Sandro’s first full season as a starter in a top league. What will tickle Spurs’ fancy even more is that — according to ESPN— the Spaniard’s contract reportedly sets a £5.1 million release clause.
Such a fee would represent a tremendous deal for any of the many teams looking for a reliable striker. With Tottenham focused on financing their new stadium, a deal is precisely what they are looking for.
Daniel Levy and Mauricio Pochettino might encounter problems similar to what they had last summer. The fact is that Tottenham at present cannot guarantee a starting spot to virtually any player they recruit. The current starting XI is too strong to be easily dislodged, and with so many young players in the squad that is unlikely to change anytime soon.
Sandro likely picked Malaga last summer because they could guarantee him meaningful minutes on the pitch, something that Spurs could not reasonably do.
There are some players, of course, who are content with a backup role if the price is right. Marseille’s Michy Batshuayi was a hot item last summer as well, but Levy could not justify paying so much — both in terms of transfer fee and salary — for a player that wasn’t expected to be an automatic starter.
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It’s entirely likely, then, that Spurs’ interest will fizzle in the face of reality. We can expect rumors to continue all the same, with Spurs also likely to ponder some what-might-have-beens over former target (and now most wanted man) Moussa Dembélé at Celtic.