Jul 29, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli (20) reacts during the second half of the 2015 MLS All Star Game at Dick
Tottenham Has No Reason To Sell Dele Alli to PSG
The January transfer rumor mill has started to heat up again. The latest report comes from the Guardian, who claim Tottenham starlet Dele Alli is destined for PSG. The only trouble with this report is that Tottenham has no reason to sell its prized prospect.
Alli has been a revelation in the Tottenham midfield this season. The former MK Dons product has surprisingly ousted more established players to cement his status as an every week starter for Mauricio Pochettino’s side. He even leveraged his early season performance into a call-up to the England National team. It’s easy to see why PSG would covet such a player, but their interest isn’t enough to make a transfer happen.
Tottenham has no motivation to sell Alli or any other young, talented player. They currently feature the youngest side in the Premier League with an average age just under 25. The club has definitively committed to a youth movement and Alli is a key figure. He’s exactly the type of player that Mauricio Pochettino will build around; not the type that he’d ship out for a quick profit.
Having a young squad also means that Tottenham’s wage bill has been able to remain relatively low. They aren’t under sharp financial pressure to make a deal. Add in the upcoming spike in Premier League TV revenue and it equals a club on very solid financial footing.
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Even with the large cost of an upcoming new stadium it doesn’t make sense to sell Alli. He is young, on a contract and can easily be controlled by the club until they move into their new home. For Chairman Daniel Levy, the potential cost of replacing a player of Alli’s quality in the squad will dwarf what PSG might be willing to pay.
Just as smaller Premier League teams are now able to fend off interest from the EPL’s larger teams, so too can the larger clubs better fend off bids from the world’s largest clubs. A club like Tottenham, would have been hard pressed to turn down a significant offer for a player like Alli a few years ago. Now with the added TV money, they find themselves in a much stronger negotiating position.
Daniel Levy isn’t someone who has a reputation of being easy to negotiate with in the past. The thought of locking horns with him when he has the upper hand, as he now does with new TV money, will be enough to send PSG running. It’s a new day in the Premier League that will see teams hang on to their stars.
Expect to see continued reports of PSG, and perhaps other world superpowers, being interested in Dele Alli. He would be a great buy for any side in the world. The only trouble is, he’s already a great, valuable member of Tottenham. They simply don’t have to sell their valuable commodity.
