Head-scratching inaction from Tottenham regarding centre-back pursuit

Tottenham is getting close to landing Wolfsburg’s Micky van de Ven, but that doesn’t explain the club’s inaction where Edmond Tapsoba is concerned.

Tapsoba has been Tottenham’s top centre-back target since the transfer period commenced. Yet the club still hasn’t submitted an official bid for the Bayer Leverkusen marshal.

Even if the clubs have disagreed on the payment plan, it shouldn’t prevent Tottenham from initiating the bidding. Tottenham wants to pay for Tapsoba in five instalments, while Leverkusen wants full payment in two.

Refraining from submitting a bid for Tapsoba would make perfect sense if van de Ven were Spurs’ top centre-back choice. But even with the van de Ven deal on the verge of completion, Tottenham are still keenly interested in Tapsoba.

It’s a head-scratching, perplexing scenario.

Does it mean Tottenham might attempt to sign van de Ven and Tapsoba? Probably not. That would be as astonishing as it would be exhilarating, very un-Tottenham-like.

A consensus was reached weeks ago by all the transfer powerhouses on Tottenham’s stance to sign one or the other, definitely not both.

So why, with Tottenham reportedly on the cusp of securing van de Ven’s services, is Daniel Levy and company still engaging with Tapsoba and Bayer Leverkusen?

And if Tapsoba is Tottenham’s desired candidate, why has it taken so long to submit an official bid?

The latest speculation suggests Tottenham is set to make an initial €30 million bid for Tapsoba, a lowball offer resembling Bayern Munich’s bid for Harry Kane.

Testing the water is one thing, but wasting Leverkusen’s time is another entirely. Bayer Leverkusen won’t sell their prized asset for less than €45 million. In truth, it will probably take a €50 million bid or slightly more to convince the Bundesliga side to sell.

All the while van de Ven agreed personal terms, seemingly ages ago, and is basically packing his bags for London before hopping on the plane to Australia with his new teammates on Friday.

That was hypothetical, so please don’t send me disparaging hate mail saying I mistakingly confirmed the transfer. No, the transfer is not confirmed, but I’m staring out into a cold, rainy night dreaming of, even manifesting, a here we go in the next couple of days.

There is another theory, albeit slightly more farfetched. What if Levy is waiting for Bayern Munich’s third bid for Kane, expecting it to fall just shy of his asking price?

Maybe Levy has told the press one thing, that his asking price for Kane is £120 million (€140 million), but will actually settle for a marked down £90 or £100 million (€105 – €117 million).

Which would mean Levy is using the Kane proceeds to purchase both desired centre backs; possible, but highly improbable.

So farfetched theories aside, if Tottenham doesn’t intend on splashing out for both centre-backs, why are they giving Bayer Leverkusen and Tapsoba the runaround?

Maybe Tottenham has submitted an opening bid for Tapsoba, and Romano’s source is off the mark. That’s as unlikely as Levy using the prospective Kane cash windfall as an advance to secure two elite centre-backs.

I suppose Tottenham’s reasoning for not submitting an official bid for Tapsoba doesn’t matter if the van de Ven signing is confirmed in the coming days.

It won’t, however, stop me from continuously scratching my head in an unending state of befuddlement.