‘Tottenham not in the conversation for Eberechi Eze transfer – forget it’
Eberechi Eze signing for Tottenham Hotspur this summer will be a non-starter if they fail to secure a Champions League place.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, former Tottenham and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson wasn’t optimistic about Spurs’ chances of signing the Crystal Palace talisman.
Eze made history on Saturday to score the only goal in the FA Cup final against Manchester City and win the first major trophy in Palace’s history, with the onus now on Spurs to end their own silverware drought.
Tottenham take on Manchester United in three days’ time with both sides desperate to salvage woeful seasons with a trophy and Champions League qualification, and Robinson told Football Insider that victory is needed for Spurs to have any hope of landing Eze.
Without Champions League football or the transfer budget that qualification would bring, a currently 17th-placed Tottenham face an uphill battle in their attempts to sign Eze from Palace this summer.
‘Absolutely no chance’ of Eberechi Eze transfer at Tottenham
Eze’s £60million release clause in his contract at Selhurst Park has opened the door for clubs to launch inquiries, but Palace could yet keep the 26-year-old next season after they too qualified for Europe by winning the FA Cup.
Speaking on the latest Inside Track, Robinson – a member of the last Spurs team to win a trophy in the form of the 2008 League Cup – argued Tottenham won’t even get close to Eze if they miss out on the Champions League.
“On the Eze question, there’s absolutely no chance“, Robinson told Football Insider.
“Absolutely no chance whatsoever of them even [being] in the conversation for a player like Eze without Champions League football, without a Champions League budget.
“If Tottenham don’t win that Europa League, they’re back to square one without a manager again, and [signing] Eze is not even in the conversation.”
Tottenham turmoil already affecting transfer strategy
Robinson told Football Insider in March that the speculation over Postecoglou’s future has effectively put Tottenham’s transfer plans on hold ahead of the summer window, and this will cost them in the race to sign Eze.
Football Insider revealed on 13 May that Man City already had a bid for Eze lined up regardless of his impact in the cup final, and the England playmaker’s goal will only strengthen links with the Premier League’s top clubs.
Tottenham certainly aren’t in that bracket at the moment, and if they fail to end their trophy drought and don’t reach the Champions League in the process, expect Spurs to slip well down the pecking order of clubs in the hunt for Eze.