Why Daniel Levy must not repeat the Norgaard mistake with this English star – Opinion

It is another day, and Tottenham Hotspur are facing another situation which ends up leaving them being outmanoeuvred by Arsenal in the transfer market, and this time, it comes in the Lilywhites pursuit of Eberechi Eze, who is one of the Premier League’s most dynamic attacking midfielders and a target at Hotspur Way for a long time.

And after watching Christian Norgaard, a player that would have ended up being a perfect plug-and-play option to integrate into Thomas Frank’s structure at Tottenham, slip through their fingers for a cut-price move to the Emirates Stadium, I don’t think Daniel Levy can afford to let history repeat itself, especially when it comes to Eze.

The Norgaard lesson: Hesitation has a cost

The thing with Norgaard is that Tottenham were favourites to secure his signature for quite a long time, especially given Thomas Frank’s strong relationship with the 31-year-old. But then as negotiations dragged on, Arsenal looked, and the Gunners pounced, and that so quite decisively as they secured the Bees skipper’s services for just £9 million, which made Daniel Levy and Tottenham look flat-footed in a window where they needed to set the tone under a new manager and in a new era.

And then you let one of your top targets join your fiercest rivals. It is more than just a transfer misstep to me; it shows me that there is still a sense of non-alignment between ownership and football operations. And it is this kind of hesitancy that ends up diminishing the authority of the new manager, especially when it comes to transfer targets and convincing them to move.

And Eze is a tier above…

And while Norgaard would have given the North Londoners a sense of tactical structure, Eberechi Eze brings more game-changing flair.

The fact that the Lilywhites are set to adapt the infamous 4-3-3 or 3-5-2 hybrid system under the Dane head coach, Eze would thrive playing in that roaming #10 role behind a striker like Solanke or even Richarlison. You can also slot the England international in a left-sided attacking role given how he drifts centrally (similar to how he operated at Crystal Palace).

Eze is more of a press-resistant carrier who is really good at transitional carries, which is very much like what Thomas Frank had in Mbeumo at Brentford (purely as related to ball-carrying capacity) but more refined.

The fact that he put in 8 goals and 8 assists last season shows that he does have that end product, but it’s the fact that he brings a sense of ball progression to the table alongside that elite one-on-one threat and tactical versatility that makes him a transformative option (especially if Heung-min Son were to leave the North Londoners at the end of the ongoing campaign).

Tottenham must show their ambitions (and Eze can help in doing so).

The difference between a team ready to challenge for titles and one stuck in transition lies in decisions like this, and given Eze is quite enthusiastic about the transfer and then there have been reports about reportedly being willing to trigger the £68m release clause, then why is there hesitation?

Unlike the Norgaard case, this time the North Londoners hold every card, given that the Lilywhites have Champions League football at N17, but then Thomas Frank’s system is tailor-made for the role that the 26-year-old is expected to play. And signing him at a place where the manager sees him as central to the project should definitely aid a transfer. And now in Arsenal they have a direct rival circling with no firm offer yet.

Letting Eze sign for Arsenal wouldn’t only deprive Tottenham of a highly rated player, but then he would end up directly benefiting the Lilywhites greatest rivals with a player that stylistically suits the Lilywhites. Now that’s not something that a top-four aspiring club that is looking to compete on all fronts must be doing.

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Author Opinion: Now Levy should leave no room for regret this time

Daniel Levy will need to ensure that the Eze deal is taken over the line and that it is a statement of intent, and this time Tottenham cannot afford to have another saga where a top target is lost, and especially not to Arsenal. This time, unlike in the Norgaard scenario, Levy and Tottenham would be missing out on a potential match-winner.