Why Tottenham Hotspur should have worked harder to sign Marco Asensio
When the final whistle blew at Wembley on Saturday, Tottenham Hotspur succumbed to their second defeat of the ongoing season. Mauricio Pochettino’s men put up a stale performance as they could only muster 3 shots on target during the whole 90 minutes. It was a game where Spurs lacked creativity from the midfield and Liverpool, despite not being at their scintillating best, ran out 2-1 winners.
Spurs might have one of the best strikers in Harry Kane but when the English skipper misfires, the team looks completely out of sorts. Ever since he picked up an injury against Bournemouth towards the end of last season, Kane has looked jaded and his form has reflected on Christian Eriksen, who has also seemingly lost his Midas touch.
When Liverpool took a 2-0 lead at Wembley, Spurs needed a moment of magic to get back into the game. But no one on the pitch was capable of doing that. It could have been a different story if the north Londoners had signed Marco Asensio.
Yes, as reported by Daily Star, Asensio, who currently has a staggering €500m release clause, was available to Tottenham back in 2014 but the club passed the opportunity to sign him.
Back in 2014, during the club’s first season under Pochettino, Spurs were looking for reinforcements to strengthen their squad and Asensio was suggested by Ramon Planes, who was a scout for the club at the time (h/t Daily Star).
But the club ignored the suggestion and did not sign the Spaniard. Asensio was still at Mallorca during that time and could have been available for a small fee. But the lack of concrete interest from Spurs allowed Real Madrid to swoop in and sign the tricky winger.
Since then, Asensio has grown leaps and bounds at Santiago Bernabeu. He has won three Champions League titles and a La Liga trophy as well, establishing himself as an important cog in Real’s wheel. He has also gone on to become one of Spain’s most priceless assets. He demonstrated his true class when he scored one and assisted four goals in the country’s recent 6-0 win over World Cup finalists Croatia.
Tottenham do have creative players like Lucas Moura, Dele Alli, Son Heung-min and Christian Eriksen. However, none of them falls in that extraordinary category of players who can change the fate of the match in an instant.
Modern-day legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are both on the wrong side of 30. Although they have dominated the footballing universe for more than a decade, their time is coming to an end. And now, is time for players like Kylian Mbappe and Marco Asensio to take centre stage.
Spurs have improved a lot over the past four years under Pochettino. After all, he has guided them out from the obscurity of Europa League places to become genuine title contenders. But as it was proved in 2015/16 and 2016/17, they fell short when it came to reaching the pinnacle of English football.
Signing a prodigal talent like Asensio could have provided them with the cutting-edge they desperately need. In fact, his presence could have turned Tottenham into champions – instead of being known as a team that merely applies pressure to the champions.
