The Same Tottenham Hotspur Flaw Ruins An $80 Million Deal

Sometimes, when it comes to bitter feuds between soccer teams, victories off the field can be as sweet as the glories on it.

For several days, Eberechi Eze appeared to be heading to Tottenham Hotspur from Crystal Palace in an $80 million deal. However, just as the move was set to be sealed, there was a twist.

Arch rivals Arsenal swept in at the last minute and hijacked the deal.

It’s the type of transfer that will feel like a derby day win for fans of the Gunners, especially as it also appears to have been enabled by sluggishness.

As Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol put it: “Today’s a great day to be an Arsenal supporter.

“They have pulled off a real coup here. At the last minute, they matched Spurs’ offer, and it’s important to remember Eze himself is an Arsenal supporter.

“His wish was very important in this – Arsenal matched Spurs’ bid of [$80]m including [$10]m in add-ons. Remember, he had a release clause which expired last week which was worth up to $91m.

“I have some sympathy for Spurs. This is not football manager, this is real life. I don’t want to kick Spurs when they’re down – I’m trying to see it from the perspective of their hierarchy.

“I think they did everything they could to try to sell the club to Eze. A lot of Spurs fans are asking why they didn’t trigger his release clause before Friday, but maybe they tried to do that and the player could’ve dragged his feet. Maybe he was keeping his options open.

“Spurs fans are very angry and criticising Daniel Levy and the owners, but I think we should keep things in perspective; these kind of things happen all the time in the window.

“Why didn’t Spurs trigger the release clause? It might’ve needed paying in one lump sum. They might’ve waited until it expired to get a better deal.”

It didn’t take long for the gushing statements about Eze being the final piece in the jigsaw for Arsenal to emerge.

“Eze is a brilliant signing for Arsenal,” former Gunner playmaker Paul Merson said. “It’s a game-changer and a perfect fit.

“Arsenal struggle when teams come to the Emirates and put everyone behind the ball. Teams want to limit the space Arsenal have to play in and they have struggled to break teams down with those tactics.

“We’ve seen it over the last few years where they have struggled to break teams down when it gets right to the business end of a game and the business end of a season.

“For me, that’s where Eze comes in at Arsenal. He’s got the X-factor and in tight, tight games, he has the ability to break a low block down.”

Yet Again Spurs Are Outflanked

The frustration for Tottenham Hotspur fans is that this is far from a one-off.

A similar scenario occurred when Arsenal swooped for Leandro Trossard in the January 2023 transfer window. His agent claimed Spurs had been in contact for two weeks, but the Gunners struck an agreement in 24 hours.

Spurs were in advanced talks with Porto one year earlier regarding a move for Luis Díaz. However, negotiations dragged on, and the club was beaten by a more efficient Liverpool, which wrapped up the transfer in a matter of days.

Those are just a few of the most recent examples; the club also lost out on Michy Batshuayi in 2016 for dithering and Adama Traoré in 2022. However, the most embarrassing last-minute gazumping was Willian, who’d completed a Spurs medical only to wear Chelsea’s blue.

The failure to sign Eze represents the second transfer slip-up of the summer after a move for Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White collapsed spectacularly.

Writing in the BBC’s Fans’ Voice section, Spurs supporter Bardi expressed this frustration.

“It’s not so much the player, it’s what the failed transfer of Eberechi Eze means long-term for a club that at some point has to negotiate with other Premier League teams.

“Daniel Levy’s reign has seen an upturn in fortune and fortunes at Spurs, but they still seem unable to compete and complete transfers.

“With Morgan Gibbs-White’s move to Spurs in pieces, Eze seemed the next logical step, especially with top-four rivals out of the equation, but somehow Levy and Spurs failed to get it over the line.

“Who moved the line depends on where you stand in the great Levy debate, but what’s clear is that he seems unable to work with other Premier League clubs.

“Levy’s self-promotion over the years as an “always-on” figure, someone involved with every aspect of the club, has made him a trophy. Over his 24 years at the wheel, he’s broken relationships across the league and Europe. Just compare how easy it is for Arsenal to pry players from Chelsea and now Palace.

“Premier League chairmen know what to expect from him. They expect to be “drawn over the coals,” and they’ve had enough. People want to move quickly and get on with the business of selling and buying players. Once so adept at negotiating, Levy is now a VHS in a streaming world—everyone has moved on.”

Levy’s defence is that Spurs are very rarely short-changed. But you can hardly argue that the times a rival has outflanked them were a blessing in disguise; in most cases, the players went on to great success. Tottenham Hotspur fans will just pray that isn’t the case with Eze.