Tottenham will get another chance to sign Anthony Martial
Tottenham appeared to have missed their chance to sign Anthony Martial, but now Spurs have been given new life in their quest to sign the United star.
It’s quite clear that Mauricio Pochettino wants Tottenham to make Anthony Martial their marquee signing of the summer. Previously, it seemed that Juventus were prepared to ruin his hopes. Now, the Old Lady have backed out of negotiations with Manchester United. That gives Spurs a chance to jump back in.
Italian sources (courtesy of the Daily Star) claim Juventus have dropped out of the race to sign Martial due to United’s asking price of £55 million. The Serie A giants haven’t ruled out returning to sign him later in the summer, but for the time being, they’re examining other targets.
Curiously, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of interest in Martial from other European heavyweights. Other clubs may be waiting to see if the price goes down, but don’t expect that to happen anytime soon. The absence of current participants in the race for Martial might cause Manchester United to shift their transfer plans.
Previously, Jose Mourinho and company have been adamant they don’t want to sell Martial to another Premier League club. The idea of playing against him twice a season doesn’t hold any appeal to the higher-ups at Old Trafford. The idea of selling him to a potential title contender like Tottenham is even less desirable.
On the other hand, United can’t afford to wait too long before selling Martial. His contract is running out and even a club as rich as United don’t want to lose him on a free transfer. The longer they wait to move him to a club where he can receive more playing time, the higher the probability he’ll elect to wait until his contract expires to make sure he can move to the club of his choice.
Expect Daniel Levy and Tottenham to renew their efforts to bring Martial to North London. They might be slightly put off by United’s asking price, but Levy has promised to back his manager this summer. Ultimately, it’s very likely Spurs would be willing to pay that price to add Martial to Pochettino’s attack.
That would certainly quality as the sort of “brave” signing Pochettino has been asking for. Martial has tremendous talent, but there’s a reason Mourinho has chosen to go with more experienced options on the wing. The young Frenchman’s focus can wax and wane at times.
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Pochettino is the sort of manager that can coach that out of him though. If he does move to Tottenham, expect to see Martial become a top-flight player in the Premier League. The thought of that occurring might be what ultimately keeps him at United. At the very least, Spurs have been given a new opportunity to make a fresh approach for their top transfer target.