Martin Jol says Tottenham should have signed £45m-rated star in January

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Martin Jol has told Football London that Tottenham Hotspur should have signed Ajax playmaker Donny van de Beek in the January transfer window.

The Daily Mail claim Tottenham are rivalling Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund for the 22-year-old’s signature this summer, with a fee of £45million believed to be enough to land the Netherlands international.

Spurs have been linked with van de Beek for some time. It was typical, then, that van de Beek netted in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final to help Ajax win 1-0 at the north London club’s new stadium.

Van de Beek has been superb throughout 2018-19, scoring 17 goals and creating 13 more. It has obviously caught the attention of Europe’s biggest clubs, but former Spurs boss has suggested his old club have made a mistake.

“Then it comes down to expertise. For example Van de Beek in the winter you could bought him for much less because he wasn’t always in the team,” Jol said.

“That’s what scouts have to do, recognise the players, recognise the market. That is the only thing I can say because after it’s too late and Spurs won’t pay £50m or £60m.”

TBR’s view

Jol is bang on. Up until the January window, van de Beek was struggling to hold down a starting spot in Ajax’s side. It makes his stats even more impressive, but he would have been a lot cheaper in January.

After a whirlwind second half to the campaign, his value is likely to have doubled.

Chairman Daniel Levy is known for his tight stronghold on the Spurs coffers, and the chances of Spurs paying a club-record fee of £45million for van de Beek remains unlikely. Davinson Sanchez was bought for £42million.