When a top attacking footballer becomes available on a free transfer, there’s usually a pretty good reason behind it.
Edinson Cavani was sacked because Paris Saint-Germain already had Kylian Mbappe and Mauro Icardi in their post, while they were able to sign Manchester United’s Ander Herrera on a free transfer because his salary demands were incredibly high.
Now they have a decision to make with legendary Argentina winger Angel Di Maria. The 32-year-old entered the last six months of his contract with the Paris side, after returning in 2015.
Di Maria has been linked with a move to Barcelona and Milan in the past but it is Tottenham who are reportedly in the lead this time around for his signing.
Jose Mourinho has managed Di Maria at Real Madrid, with former Benfica being the first choice right-winger for the Madrid squad which won La Liga with a record 100 points in 2012.
With Gareth Bale’s loan deal not going the way all Spurs fans had hoped, Mourinho is eager to reunite with Di Maria in north London. But is he really the best option Tottenham can attract? Does the agreement even make sense?
Di Maria is physically past his prime. He’s not as fast as he once was and nowhere near as nimble as he was during his pump at the Bernabeu. That doesn’t mean he’s not a good player, he absolutely is. But Spurs’ eyes should be more on the future.
We’ve seen in the past with Mourinho that he likes an experienced squad with players in their prime, but we can all recognize at this point that it ultimately becomes his downfall.
Di Maria would undoubtedly arrive with huge salaries, especially since there would be no transfer fees. Spurs are said to be hopeful that they can offer him Champions League football, but there’s no guarantee that either. The main problem with a deal would be what it does to the rest of the team.
Mourinho has already signed Steven Bergwijn and Bale during his time at the club for the right-wing post, while Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura are also options in the post.
While Bale is likely to return to Real Madrid this summer unless there is a big recovery in form by the end of the season, the others are all firmly in Jose’s plans.
Lucas is under contract until 2024 and has played fairly regularly under Mourinho, while Lamela always seems to be in and around the squad whenever he’s in form. Bergwijn is the problem for Spurs as he came with a good reputation and was seen as the man to improve them in this position.
He started out well but now appears to be in and out of the squad and there have already been rumors of a falling out with Mourinho. But the club would be crazy to let go of a young winger with a huge future ahead of him in favor of a downhill man in his thirties.
Bergwijn should have time to develop and improve in this team. He has skills very similar to Di Maria, but being right-footed gives the team more balance and a more natural width.
Di Maria is a top player, without a doubt, but his time at the top is coming to an end. While he would be a big name, at a big club, in the biggest of the big leagues, it’s a deal that stinks of ending up like a bad deal for Tottenham.
We saw during his time at Manchester United that he had no problem knocking down tools in the middle of a campaign if it didn’t go as planned and with the salary he would demand, that’s a situation that the club cannot afford with the finances. tight due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
If Spurs are to continue the upward trajectory they have shown under Mourinho, they have to ditch the idea of Di Maria wearing the lilywhite shirt next season.
