Not but eight years ago, Tottenham Hotspur were in a Champions League Final and truly one of the biggest clubs in the world with a handful of the best players in European football, led by superstar forwards Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. Now, they are still fending off relegation from the Premier League with a striker duo of Randal Kolo Muani and Richarlison.
Looking back at the Spurs squads of the mid and late 2010s is like looking at a time capsule, and so is reviewing the big names Spurs could have added to form a trident with Son and Kane. The biggest signing was Juventus superstar Paulo Dybala, the best player in Serie A before Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival to join him. Not long after Cristiano arrived in Turin, Dybala was rumored to be available, and Spurs had actually agreed to a whopping 64.4 million pound transfer in August 2019.
The deal infamously fell through, and though Dybala would still be linked with Spurs in the subsequent years, the rumors never had the same juice due to a combination of La Joya's nagging injury woes and Tottenham's own diminished ambitions (and falling stature in Champions League football).
Serie A's 'jewel' still has Premier League dreams
And now, seven years later, a 32 year old Dybala who is already on the brink of potentially leaving European football after years of injuries is still being linked to the Premier League. Sky Sports is reporting that Paulo Dybala remains open to a move to England, even as he is desperately trying to negotiate a stay with Roma, where he has become beloved after being a pillar in winning the Conference League and nearly bringing home the Europa League as Jose Mourinho's main star a few years ago.
Dybala is no longer a crucial starter, and a move back to Argentina could be on the cards for the former Palermo product. Roma are confident they will be able to keep Dybala and do want him back, despite haggling over his wages, but there is now this Premier League tease.
It's hard to say what Roberto De Zerbi would do or want, and he did coach Sassuolo during the peak of Dybala's days in Serie A. And an attacking mastermind like RDZ has to have a spot for a technical wizard and creative genius like Dybala with that ability to score or assist from nothing.
When everyone is healthy next season, Spurs will have Mohammed Kudus as the starting left footed right winger, and potentially Dejan Kulusevski as his backup, though it is hard to count on him after a major knee injury that he has still not recovered from a year later. Wilson Odobert is another solution, but Spurs are thin on the wings. They already have James Maddison as the veteran backup No. 10 to Xavi Simons, but Kudus is the only left footer in the attack right now.
So Dybala is not impossible, but with his expected wages, age, and injury history, it seems like, barring a big demand from Roberto De Zerbi, the ship has sailed seven years after the fact for La Joya and Tottenham Hotspur.
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