Tottenham Hotspur have to be livid with the way they lost out on the Eberechi Eze transfer battle to rivals Arsenal, who swooped in at the last second to sign one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League.
Arsenal's latest slick transfer move over Tottenham has left Spurs reeling, as they already had a need for another playmaking talent before starting No. 10 James Maddison tore his ACL. With Maddison injured and Dejan Kulusevski still recovering from his own knee issue last season, Tottenham are desperate for attacking midfield help.
Instead of Eze, Tottenham could actually pivot to the player Crystal Palace are trying to sign to replace the England international, exacting revenge on a local London rival in the process for waiting on Eze and secretly negotiating with Arsenal before selling to the Gunners instead.
According to a report from the Daily Mail's Simon Jones, Bilal El Khannouss, who is Palace's main transfer target right now, is actually being pushed towards Tottenham's direction as an alternative landing spot for the Belgian international. Per Jones, Crystal Palace had two bids rejected by Leicester City, who could now be looking to sell to Spurs instead.
Tottenham have vengeance on their minds this summer
Tottenham weren't linked strongly to El Khannouss because Eze was their priority, but they have indeed been linked to the playmaker before. And with no better options available after Como roundly rejected their approach for star man Nico Paz, whose ultimate future is in Real Madrid's hands, El Khannouss could be the move.
Spurs have revenge against other Premier League clubs on their minds right now, as Crystal Palace, Arsenal, and even Nottingham Forest have stymied them at least once on the market this year. Tottenham's only big attacking signing was Mohammed Kudus from another local rival, West Ham United.
El Khannouss is just 21 years old and more than good enough to stay in the Premier League. Even on a dysfunctional Leicester City side last season, El Khannouss managed to distinguish himself as one to watch for the future, averaging a solid 1.3 key passes and 1.1 dribbles completed per game.
Ideally, Tottenham would sign someone more experienced and proven in terms of production alongside El Khannouss as more of a high-upside backup option, but, at this point in the market, if they don't have any other options, El Khannouss would be better than nothing and come at the added bonus of burning a pesky Palace side coming off an FA Cup triumph.