Spurs Biggest Ever Transfers

The summer transfer window is essentially upon us although for Spurs, there are more pressing matters at the start of June. However, once the Champions League final is out of the way, speculation as to who we might sign will begin in earnest.

Will records be broken? With big money being asked for players who are considered less than world class, it may well be the case that Tottenham need to exceed their previous best. Plenty of speculation will follow but for now, let’s take a look at the biggest transfers fees paid by Spurs in the club’s history.

1. Davinson Sanchez

Davinson Sanchez

The current club record is the reported £42 million paid by Spurs to Ajax for the services of Davinson Sanchez. Trade between the two clubs has frequently been brisk and the Colombian joins two fellow ‘Ajacied’ in the centre of defence – Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld.

Davinson was just 20 when he signed up and had only played the one season in Amsterdam but it’s thought that Spurs had beaten off the interest of several other clubs to secure his signature.

Two years later, he’s not always been first choice but, unlike some of the other players on this list, Sanchez looks a solid signing with plenty of time to develop. In a season or two, if he stays at the club, he could well step in to replace one of his former Ajax teammates once again.

2. Erik Lamela

Erik Lamela

There’s some dispute over exact figures but many sources are pushing Moussa Sissoko into third place, just behind Erik Lamela. The Argentinian was one of no fewer than seven players to come to White Hart Lane in the wake of the Gareth Bale sale in 2013 but a full six years on, he’s yet to really convince supporters of his true value.

Injuries have played their part and Erik missed virtually all of the 2017/18 campaign with a hip problem. Despite that issue, Lamela signed a new four year contract which will, in theory, take him up to the end of the 2021/22 season.

Whether he sees that contract through remains to be seen as the player is still not a first choice across the midfield. As for his record at Spurs, Erik Lamela had played 182 games in six seasons at the club prior to the 2019 Champions League final.

3. Moussa Sissoko

Moussa Sissoko

While Lamela is likely to start on the bench for that final, Moussa Sissoko has literally forced his way into the starting line up. The French international midfielder came to White Hart Lane at the end of the 2016 transfer window at the culmination of a protracted deal. In three seasons with Newcastle United, he’d earned a reputation as a talented but frustrating player who would often seem to just not turn up.

At the start of his spell with Tottenham, we got all of the frustration with none of the talent and it took an age for that situation to turn around. For two seasons, it seemed we had an expensive misfit on our hands and one that we would have to quickly sell on at a loss.

The 2018/19 campaign changed everything with Sissoko a dominant and bustling force in midfield. He was possibly aided by the departure of Mousa Dembele which allowed him to take over the role as link man in the centre of the park.

Moussa Sissoko was instrumental in taking Spurs to the Champions League final and he ended the season as the Spurs Legends player of the year. It was an unthinkable situation at the start of 2018/19 but long may the great transformation continue.

4. Roberto Soldado

Roberto Soldado

All of the players on this list are still at the club with the exception of just one. Like Erik Lamela, Roberto Soldado joined Spurs as one of seven players charged with replacing the irreplaceable Gareth Bale. As an out-and-out striker, much was expected of Soldado in the post Keane and Defoe days but he just didn’t deliver and the reported fee of £26 million would quickly appear excessive by 2013 standards.

In his first season at the club, Soldado scored just 11 goals in 36 matches across all competitions. It was a poor return but it was about to get worse. In 2014/15, the numbers dipped to five in 40 and with Harry Kane emerging, Roberto Soldado was sold to Villarreal for just £10 million.

5. Lucas Moura

Lucas Moura

At the time of writing, Lucas Moura was our most recent signing and the fifth most expensive at £23 million. If you follow comments on social media then the jury is largely out on a man who crossed from PSG in the winter window of 2018.

Moura has never been an automatic choice and that situation may continue in the future but he paid back all of that fee in 45 crazy minutes in Amsterdam. The Brazilian had previously scored an impressive double at Old Trafford before bagging a home hat trick against Huddersfield but his treble against Ajax was unforgettable. Whatever happens next, Lucas Moura has written his own, indelible page in Spurs folklore.

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