da blaze casino： Tottenham Hotspur's summer business has not been surprising, largely for the plain and simple fact that their new manager is a quick thinker.
da jogodeouro： Ange Postecoglou's general rule of thumb at Celtic was that he'd act quickly and decisively in the transfer window, notably bringing in three players to Parkhead before the window for the January 2022 market had even opened.
They haven't acted that swiftly here, but they are making moves in the market, with a new transfer target now named; Marc Cucurella.
How much is Marc Cucurella worth?
Signed by Chelsea from Brighton for a fee of £60m last summer, the Spaniard could already be on the move after a tricky season.
Football Transfers note Spurs as one potential destination for the left-back.
It's claimed they are following his situation closely as they seek a replacement for the potentially outgoing Ivan Perisic.
The north Londoners are reportedly 'ready' to make a deal happen, something that could well materialise considering Mauricio Pochettino's side are 'desperate' to get rid of him.
Any deal could potentially cost around £48m, his expected transfer value, as per the same source.
How good is Marc Cucurella?
During his stint at Brighton, Cucurella emerged as a flying wing-back, one who looked every bit a La Masia graduate.
Barcelona's famous academy has housed some of the very best names in world football, from the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta.
It's safe to say the 24-year-old isn't quite that good, but he has forged a successful career for himself.
In his one and only season with the Seagulls, the 2021/22 campaign, the full-back posted one goal and two assists. They are hardly outstanding numbers but when it came to marauding defenders that year, there were few better in the division.
Cucurella sat inside the top 14% of full-backs in the Premier League for touches in the attacking third and the top 12% for carries, via FBref. Not just competent going forward, he was in the best 8% for ball recoveries with 7.20 per 90 minutes.
Are those numbers worthy of a £60m price tag? Arguably not. That said, he was an exciting proposition and one at an age where only growth was surely possible.
Unfortunately for Spurs, they would now be getting a player who has shown his flaws. Only another two assists were registered by the Spaniard in a poor Chelsea side. This time out, he was only in the best 30% for touches in the attacking third and the best 20% for carries. If there was one positive, he still recovered the ball on a regular basis, making 6.46 recoveries per 90, marking him in the best 14% positionally.
That doesn't look dreadful but the truth of the matter is that he made a number of notable errors too. He was hooked after just 63 minutes against his former employers in what turned out to be a 4-1 loss.
Described as a "liability" by journalist Josh Bunting during a game with Villa, he notably cost the Blues in Europe. In both games against Real Madrid, he let them down a great deal. At Stamford Bridge, Cucurella came charging out of his position leaving a huge gap in behind down Chelsea's left-hand side. The end product was a goal.
Similarly, at the Bernabeu, he was caught out of position. Rodrygo turned the wing-back all too easily which left Ben Chilwell vulnerable in behind. The result? A red card for the England man who was rather hung out to try by his defensive colleague who attempted to make a last-ditch challenge.
Spending big money on a Premier League talent, therefore, has rather worrying echoes of Richarlison.
The former Everton man made his own £60m switch last summer after impressing in the lower reaches of the table.
However, like Cucurella, he was one of the worst signings of the season. In total, the Brazilian found the net just three times, one of which came in the top flight. Remarkably, the attacker had to wait until the 30th April to finally break his league drought.
That isn't to say that every transfer from a Premier League side works out poorly, but Tottenham must learn their lesson from 12 months ago.
Investing in Cucurella this summer would feel like a costly mistake. This is surely one to swerve for Daniel Levy and Co.