Tottenham could lose transfer battle to Manchester United to win war over Jose Mourinho

ENFIELD, ENGLAND - MARCH 06: Danny Rose smiles during a Tottenham Hotspur training session on the eve of their UEFA Champions League match against Juventus at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on March 6, 2018 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
ENFIELD, ENGLAND - MARCH 06: Danny Rose smiles during a Tottenham Hotspur training session on the eve of their UEFA Champions League match against Juventus at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on March 6, 2018 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Tottenham and Manchester United are set for transfer warfare

Quite a few Tottenham fans are up in arms about the possibility of selling Danny Rose to Manchester United this summer. Those fans don’t see the clear positive the move could have in the club’s chase of England’s most talented starlet.

Recent reports are linking Jose Mourinho’s club with a big money move for Fulham left back Ryan Sessegnon. The young Englishman has been a prime target for Mauricio Pochettino for the better part of 18 months. It’s not a stretch to say he may enter the summer as Spurs’ prime transfer target.

If United decide they want to beat Tottenham to the punch, they likely have the financial power to make that happen. Spurs’ financial position is set to improve after moving into their new stadium, but it will take them years to equal the buying power that United already possess. Unless Sessegnon is willing to accept less money to play under Pochettino, United would control the transfer race.

That’s where selling Rose to Mourinho might come in handy for Pochettino. If United splash big time cash on Rose, they might really hesitate to spend the money required to sign another left back. That might take Sessegnon out of United’s crosshairs.

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The key to everything will be timing. If Daniel Levy, per his usual operating procedure, drags out negotiations over Rose it could lead United to pounce on Sessegnon. There’s an argument to be made that the Fulham starlet, even at his young age, would be a better purchase for the Red Devils.

If, on the other hand, Levy and Ed Woodward can come to a relatively quick agreement on a fee for Rose, it would give Spurs a chance to complete the Sessegnon deal. As a long-suffering Tottenham fan I can’t really see that happening, but it’s nice to dream.

Tottenham’s best hope in all this is that Mourinho makes up his mind that he wants Rose no matter what. That certainly isn’t impossible. The “Special One” has made a career on purchasing plug and play veterans for his squad. It’s not his style to buy a 17-year-old and slowly integrate him into the first team.

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That’s just what Pochettino has built his career on. If he’s going to get the chance to do it with Sessegnon, it’s likely going to require Tottenham to ship Danny Rose to Manchester United.