Tottenham abandoned quest to sign the ‘next Martin Odegaard’, now he’s the best playmaker in La Liga
Thomas Frank could have been working with one of the world’s most talented playmakers had those before him made the right calls at Tottenham.
James Maddison is currently sidelined, joined by Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke on the treatment table, while Spurs continue to push up to third in the Premier League table after seven games.
Tottenham splashed £52million on Xavi Simons, with Daniel Levy finally opening his pockets before leaving his post in North London, and supporters were incredibly satisfied by the club’s transfer business.
That does not mean that the Lilywhites have been spotless in the market over recent seasons, however, and one of these missed signings could be massively regretted in the future.
Tottenham pulled out of signing Real Madrid’s Arda Guler
Two summers ago, Spurs were seriously interested in signing Turkey international Arda Guler, who had failed to break into the Real Madrid squad, making just 12 senior appearances in his first season [Express].
The Premier League club were forced to stop their hunt for the young talent, who had been forced out of the lineup due to Rodrygo and England international Jude Bellingham starring during the period he was sidelined.
Back then, Guler was already being tipped to be the “next Martin Odegaard“, who also developed at Los Blancos, and is now playing a starring role at Arsenal. The Gunners also saw him as an Odegaard repeat [Sport].
While it was a slow start to life in Spain for the now-20-year-old, he has finally settled into his surroundings, currently boasting four goals and six assists in 16 appearances this term.
Somehow, it gets more impressive.
Guler leads the way for an impressive metric in La Liga
After just eight matches in La Liga this season, Guler has already created 22 chances, more than any other player in the division, and he has started seven of those games for Xabi Alonso.
Nicolas Pepe, Kylian Mbappe, Pedri, and Vinicius Junior all follow closely behind, but after the Turkish star’s first season in Spain, it is incredibly impressive how quickly he has gone from strength to strength.
Spurs had the chance to secure his signature during one of the most testing years of his life, and had Levy pushed for a transfer like that, Frank would have been reaping the rewards of it today.
Most supporters would instantly turn down any opportunity to sign Odegaard now, but had they been able to sign someone of his calibre and possibly better, that would have been an entirely different question.