After relegation battle Tottenham won’t regret missing out on Yunus Malli

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Throughout 2016 Tottenham Hotspur found themselves constantly linked with the signature of Turkish midfielder Yunus Malli. The Mainz playmaker had been impressing in the Bundesliga and Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino was reportedly a big fan of the player.

Indeed, it was reported by the Daily Mail that he was high on the Argentine’s wishlist for Spurs. A few months later and the Mirror reported that Tottenham were still keen. With a release clause of just £7.5 million coming into play in the summer of 2017, it was clear that Tottenham were playing the waiting game.

Which allowed rivals to swoop in, namely VfL Wolfsburg. The Bundesliga side paid extra to sign him in January 2017 for a fee reported by Bild to be in the region of £10.6 million.

Tottenham were left disappointed in missing out on a long-term target.

However, 18 months down the line not many people at Spurs will be overly concerned that they were beaten to the punch in the race for the Turkish playmaker’s signature.

The 26-year-old struggled from the start at Wolfsburg and this season has been another slogfest for the player. He has been inconsistent once again for the club. A poor start to the campaign picked up with some good form in November but he again was out of touch after the new year. The result was a topsy-turvy season and one that nearly ended up with relegation to the 2.Bundesliga via the play-offs.

Malli is still a very good talent and, in the grand scheme of Wolfsburg’s season, might have been one of their better performers in a forgettable campaign.

But Tottenham Hotspur will not be losing any sleep over being robbed in the transfer hunt for the player 18 months ago.