Tottenham will try to buy Maxi Gomez on the cheap
Maxi Gomez may have a reasonable release clause in his Celta Vigo contract, but Tottenham will try to push his price down this summer.
Tottenham’s never-ending quest to find a competent backup for Harry Kane will resume this summer. Expect Celta VIgo front man Maxi Gomez to draw a lot of interest from Mauricio Pochettino and company.
Gomez has a £43.5 million release clause in his current contract, but don’t expect Spurs to rush forward to pay that price. Instead, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy will try to apply his usual negotiating pressure to the situation. It’s safe to assume the club’s opening offer for the Uruguayan striker to be much closer to £25 million.
That sort of opening bid could prove to be a miscalculation by Levy. Tottenham are not the only club interested in acquiring Gomez this summer. West Ham, in particular, have been linked heavily with the La Liga hitman. It’s easy to envision a scenario where the West London club try to make a statement of ambition by offering to meet Gomez’s release clause.
The appropriate question to ask here is just how much is Gomez worth? There can be no question about his goal scoring credentials. He’s managed to slot home 11 goals for his club in La Liga play this season. He’s a physical force in front of goal that can really influence the game with his aerial ability.
That skill should translate reasonably well to Premier League play. English defenders are a bit more physical than their Spanish counterparts, but the difference is pretty minimal. If Gomez gets quality service, he is going to score goals in any league in Europe.
Scouts are, however, split on whether or not Gomez does enough other things well to be a top-notch striker. He’s a bit of a one-dimensional player at Celta Vigo. If he wants to succeed at a club like Tottenham, he’ll need to drastically improve his work rate. He does a decent job of dropping deep to help his teammates out when they have possession, but his impact decreases sharply when his team gives up the football.
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Ultimately, Gomez is an intriguing target for Tottenham to chase this summer, but he’s far from perfect. This should prove to be a case where Levy driving a hard financial bargain is the right course of action for Spurs.