Cristiano Ronaldo will never play for Tottenham Hotspur, but his supposed transfer saga could help Spurs during the summer months.
Cristiano Ronaldo may nor may not wish to leave Real Madrid depending on what reports, rumors, Tweets, Instagram posts and prayers you want to believe as of the middle of June. Ignore, for a moment, the tax case that looms over Ronaldo, one that could impact transfer discussions between Real and any other club, and focus on the idea that Ronaldo could bolt from the Spanish giants and play in a different league.
Obviously, Ronaldo won’t be joining Tottenham Hotspur today, tomorrow, this summer or at any point ever. There’s a better chance of you hitting the Powerball, Mega Millions and local lotteries all while being struck by a lightning bolt and seeing two snowflakes that look the same at the exact same time. It’s not happening. Spurs cannot afford and/or do not wish to spend money on the likes of James Rodriguez, let alone on arguably the best player in the world, today, and maybe the greatest player in the history of the sport.
Not only will Ronaldo never wear Tottenham Lilywhite. It’s possible he could end up playing against Spurs no fewer than two times per season if he completes an exit from Spain and signs with one of the Premier League clubs that could afford to acquire him and also pay the massive wages he will command.
It is this financial reality that could end up being Tottenham’s main ally this summer. Even the hope Ronaldo could become available before the 2017-18 European seasons begin has evolved into the biggest overall sports story in the world and has seemingly put the rest of club football on pause for the time being.
One of the worst-kept secrets in football is that Ronaldo has been linked with an eventual return to Manchester United for years, so much that it’s often felt as if it was only a matter of when we would again see him playing home matches at Old Trafford. Ronaldo, deservedly, would climb to the top of any wish list possessed by current United boss Jose Mourinho, who had an up-and-down relationship with the player at Real.
That’s only good news for Spurs for the now and the future. United focusing on a Ronaldo swoop could potentially take a player such as Tottenham midfielder Eric Dier off their radar for the next few months. It may also prevent the Red Devils from completing a future move for former Tottenham star and current Real player Gareth Bale, keeping the hope alive that Bale could finish the decade featuring for Spurs at the new stadium being built next to the old White Hart Lane.
Don’t be surprised if Manchester City test the waters about making a shock move for Ronaldo. City have the money to get him, the available funds to pay him enough to keep him satisfied for at least a couple of years and, unlike United, the blue portion of Manchester will be in the Champions League next season. Some would see Ronaldo as a traitor for siding with United’s rivals, but money can silence jeers and erase criticisms from the mind rather easily.
As passionate Tottenham fans are aware, City have been linked with a move for Spurs right back Kyle Walker. The Ronaldo situation, a price tag potentially as high as £60 million attached to Walker and the fact Walker is signed up through 2021 could all affect Walker’s final landing destination and also possibly prevent Spurs from doing business with the Premier League club.
That last tidbit stands out among the rest as a reason Spurs may actually want to thank Ronaldo for pulling such a stunt now if he is, in fact, trying to leave Real and isn’t merely attempting to earn one final massive payday from the club. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has shied away from selling top talent to Premier League clubs throughout the 2010s. It seems unthinkable Levy would consider selling even a potential starter, let alone an established star, to an English club that recently landed Ronaldo.
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History teaches us this is all much ado about nothing. After all, Ronaldo allegedly feeling “unsettled” at Real has happened before, and it’s always ended the same way; with him staying put. If, however, he’s serious this time, Tottenham may be able to benefit simply by doing nothing but sitting back and allowing the saga to play out.