£36m for Amadou Diawara would have been massive Tottenham gamble

Add as preferred source on Google

Tottenham Hotspur failed to make a single new signing in the summer. However, it does not appear for the want of trying. Spurs were linked with several names and reports in Italy are suggesting a Napoli player was on the shortlist.

Corriere dello Sport report, as relayed by talkSPORT, that the Guinean midfielder was the subject of a £36 million interest from the London club. However, new Napoli boss Carlo Ancelotti vetoed the move as he wants to work with the 21-year-old.

Tottenham were looking for a replacement for Mousa Dembele this summer. It seemed the Belgian could leave after contract negotiations with Spurs stalled.

So would Diawara have been a missing link for Spurs?

It seems that a central midfielder was needed this summer. Dembele’s form of late has been a concern. Meanwhile, many Tottenham fans will tell you Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama are not good enough to sustain a title challenge. With Moussa Sissoko hardly more reliable and Harry Winks still working his way back from a serious injury, Spurs could certainly have done with another midfielder.

But Diawara might not have been the best option.

After all, this is a player who started just five times in Serie A last season. Undoubtedly he is an excellent talent. But considering his struggles with the Partenopei it is hard to see how much he would have improved the current Tottenham midfield.

Improvements are needed in the centre of the park for Spurs. However, Diawara would have been an expensive gamble.