Tottenham and West Ham were in talks over a blockbuster swap deal involving Yves Bissouma and Lucas Paqueta
Tottenham Hotspur are scrambling to complete their transfer business as the deadline day looms large on us.
Spurs’ task to land a creative midfielder was made significantly more difficult by a recent turn of events, which saw Arsenal hijack their deal for the Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze. Furthermore, the north Londoners were unable to convince Como to sell their highly-rated talent Nico Paz.
Following these episodes, Spurs have turned their attention elsewhere to end their pursuit of a No.10. The attacking midfield is a position that Thomas Frank need to reinforce. With the ACL injury to James Maddison ruling him out for the foreseeable future and Dejan Kulusevski’s existing knee issue, the club finds themselves short of options.
Yves Bissouma and Lucas Paqueta swap talks collapse
Apart from signing players, Tottenham are also looking to clear the deadwood from the squad. Yves Bissouma does not appear to have a future at the club under Thomas Frank.
The Danish tactician left the central midfielder out of the matchday squad of the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain for his repeated indiscipline of arriving late to training. He has not been involved in Spurs’ first two games of the new season against Burnley and Manchester City too.
West Ham United have shown an interest in signing Yves Bissouma in the last few days. However, the 28-year-old has agreed personal terms with Galatasaray, and with Spurs already deep in negotiations with the Turkish champions for the player, West Ham have suffered a blow in their pursuit of the Mali international.
According to an exclusive report from TBR Football, Tottenham and West Ham discussed a sensational swap deal involving Lucas Paqueta and Bissouma. Earlier this month, the London clubs held talks over what would have been a straight loan swap between the pair, but things did not proceed.
The Lilywhites have identified Lucas Paqueta as one of the alternatives to Eze. Capable of playing as a No.10, in a double pivot and out wide, the Brazilian’s versatility, coupled with his flair, incisive passing, movement, creativity and ball-striking would make him a great fit in Frank’s system at N17. Plus, he has racked up decent amount of Premier League experience under his belt, which would help him settle down quickly at Spurs without any adaptation period if a deal transpires.
However, Bissouma agreeing to join Galatasaray has led to a potential swap deal involving Paqueta collapse. A move to the Hammers would have reunited him with Graham Potter, someone who got the best out of him at Brighton. However, the Mali international has other ideas in his career.
As for a separate Paqueta, it would be difficult for Spurs to pull off, especially after signing Mohammed Kudus from West Ham just last month. Nonetheless, Daniel Levy must at least give it a try to bring in the Brazil international.
