Tottenham lose out on Luis Diaz with Colombian going to Liverpool
By Gary Pearson
Tottenham have received another crushing blow in a window that couldn’t get any worse, as Liverpool have swooped in and are on the verge of signing Luis Diaz.
The news broke about an hour ago, and it makes for familiar and hideous reading. In similar fashion to the Traore debacle, another club has come in at the final hour to pip Spurs to the prize.
High-profile Tottenham targets are using Spurs to force their desired destinations into action. It happened with Traore and now it’s happening with Diaz, who clearly never had any intention of joining the Lilywhites. This poses a serious problem for Spurs, who are clearly unable to attract elite talent, even with one of the world’s best managers at the helm.
The big question is how long Conte will be able to tolerate managing a club who cannot attract the type of talent required to compete yearly for silverware. That might change if Spurs qualify for next season’s Champions League, which will be increasingly difficult without drastically improving the squad. Talk about a nefarious Catch-22.
🚨 Liverpool on course to sign Luis Diaz from Porto before transfer window shuts. Sources expect fee of around €60m including add-ons to be agreed. 25yo Colombia winger also targeted by Tottenham but is believed to have opted for #LFC @TheAthleticUK #THFC https://t.co/AS1rWMP4KB
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) January 28, 2022
This was always inevitable, even if previously unknown. Diaz’s camp showed a perceived interest in Tottenham to quickly bring Liverpool to the negotiating table. The Reds had every intention of making a summer bid for the talented Colombian, but were forced into acting fast when Tottenham made clear their pursuit of the Porto striker.
While expected, it doesn’t make the latest news any easier to take. Spurs are in a perilous position in the current transfer window, with no signings to speak of just four days prior to the Monday’s 11 pm deadline.
Next. Tottenham linked to another striker after Diaz falls through. dark
Antonio Conte will be extremely frustrated with the club’s inability to secure big-name targets. He’ll also be upset with the time Tottenham wasted in the early stages of the window. Spurs waited until just a few days ago to make their first official bid, which wasn’t enough to land Traore.
Tottenham should be able to sign a lesser player like Sofyan Amrabat, but that deal, if confirmed, will do very little to appease an increasingly frustrated fanbase.