Tottenham should be buzzing that £57m target opted elsewhere if they are to progress in Champions League

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Tottenham Hotspur failed to break AS Monaco down on Wednesday evening in what was considered a dull performance in the Champions League – but they will take solace in an incident from another fixture in the competition having saved them £57million.

Tottenham won their first Champions League game of the season against Villarreal to kickstart their campaign in Europe, though they have since had two away fixtures to contend with.

One of those was a late comeback against Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt at the end of September, and a relatively respectable stalemate against Monaco means they remain unbeaten in the Champions League.

Three home games from five should see Thomas Frank’s side into the top 16 of the tournament. And if they are to advance, Tottenham will be relieved that they didn’t sign former Bournemouth star Ilya Zabarnyi after his horror show for Paris Saint-Germain earlier in the summer.

Ilya Zabarnyi had an all-time shocker for Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League

Ilya Zabarnyi joined Bournemouth in 2023, but a number of solid performances for Andoni Iraola in the Premier League saw him exit the club back in August.

With a defensive exodus also seeing Milos Kerkez join Liverpool and Dean Huijsen jump ship to Real Madrid, big things were expected of the trio after a solid season in England.

Zabarnyi’s fee ended up being £57million inclusive of add-ons, though Tottenham did rival PSG for his signature. Their extended interest meant PSG were scared that Tottenham would sign Zabarnyi in a late hijack, though he opted for a move to Paris.

But his Champions League dreams at the Parc des Princes took a battering on Tuesday evening. Conceding a penalty for handball in the area, Zabarnyi was brandished with a yellow card on 25 minutes, and was lucky to escape when Alex Grimaldo missed a spot-kick.

However, Zabarnyi’s day was to get even worse in the 37th minute. He was once again found lacking, and after tugging Christian Kofane’s shirt in the area, he was given a straight red card to mark a shocking outing.

Zabarnyi will have been relieved that PSG’s attack-laden stars bailed him out of a treacherous situation as they ended up winning 7-2, but it will somewhat give Tottenham the notion that they made the right move in spending their money elsewhere.

Tottenham will be glad they spent their £57million elsewhere after Zabarnyi horror show

Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have been solid for Tottenham anyway this season, and so that £57million spent on Zabarnyi could have seen him on the bench.

Instead, Tottenham signed Xavi Simons with the majority of that saved cash, whilst it also meant Spurs landed Joao Palhinha on loan with the spare money.

Simons has been slightly underwhelming for Tottenham this season, making one assist in just nine games for the club – but he has the potential to be a real star in the future and a £52million fee was a price they couldn’t say no to.

Palhinha, meanwhile, has been a revelation with three goals and an assist from defensive midfield already and he’s been a huge reason why Spurs are joint-fifth in the table.

Furthermore, Zabarnyi has shown in that performance that he may not be able to handle the pressures of the Champions League.

If Tottenham are to progress in the Champions League, Zabarnyi being sat on the bench would not have been a wise use of money.

Romero and Van de Ven have only conceded two goals in three games in the competition, and that money being pumped into their attack will take them further than they would’ve gotten at the start of the season.