Daniel Levy will lose his mind at Jose Mourinho if the Tottenham Hotspur boss forces Davinson Sanchez out of the club in the January transfer window.
What’s the word?
According to Football Insider, the Spurs first-team have been given the next six-to-eight weeks to prove themselves to Mourinho and Levy, with the pair yet finalise a definitive plan for the upcoming market.
Tottenham intend to bolster the ranks in north London this winter after the fine start to the campaign Mourinho has orchestrated, with Spurs sitting second in the table and with the chance to go temporarily to the top with a win over Manchester City on Saturday.
Mourinho’s backline is expected to bear the brunt of the Portuguese’s focus, having grown concerned by the lack of pace that a pairing of Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld have to offer.
Sanchez is seen to be the fastest of Spurs’ centre-halves but found himself axed from their last three Premier League squads before the November international break, while summer signing Joe Rodon is yet to feature as anything more than a last-minute substitute at Burnley.
Should Sanchez or Rodon fail to dethrone either Dier or Alderweireld before the New Year, Mourinho is expected to explore the potential of adding a new central defender to his plans with the former Chelsea boss favouring a proven option over youth prospect Japhet Tanganga.
Sanchez may even find himself pushed out of north London, with the Colombian not thought of highly by Mourinho while Levy has to offload some of Tottenham’s unneeded high-earners to fund his winter dealings.
Levy will lose his mind
If Mourinho does decide over the next six-to-eight weeks that Sanchez has no future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, his decision may see Levy lose his mind having signed the 24-year-old from AFC Ajax in 2017 for a then-club-record £40million.
The Spurs chief will surely struggle to find a suitor willing to match – or better – that sum in the winter market, having seen the Colombian fail to keep a clean sheet in either of his four Premier League starts this season before losing his place in the 18-man squad.
Then finding a replacement for Sanchez who presents good value for money will be a second thwart challenge for Levy to overcome, with clubs reluctant to part with their most prized assets in the mid-season window for anything less than top-dollar as their departures could turn a campaign on its head.
Levy will be far better placed to urge Mourinho to keep faith in what Sanchez can have to offer, with the £65,000-per-week outcast’s performances over his top-flight appearances enough to rank first among all Tottenham defenders for successful tackles (9), and have three times as many interceptions (3) as Alderweireld (1) and ground duels won (9) as Dier (3), per SofaScore.
Levy can also turn to the words of Mourinho’s predecessor Mauricio Pochettino in arguing the case for the Colombian to stay, at least until the summer, as the Argentine coach was a staunch advocate for the defender’s potential.
“We nearly changed all the players and of course it's important, after only 48 hours, to say [well done] to Davinson Sanchez because his effort on Monday and [Wednesday] was massive,” Pochettino said in November 2018 after helping Spurs to beat West Ham in the EFL Cup, via quotes by Goal. “He showed great mentality. He's a beast.”
Pochettino also suspected the world would be Sanchez’s oyster after his capture in 2017, tipping the Ajax arrival to go on and become one of the best in his position.
“He has an amazing history and background,” Pochettino said, via quotes by The Guardian. “He is so aggressive, so fast and he loves to play with risk at his back. It’s a massive opportunity because we believe he will be one of the best centre-backs in the world.”
Only time will tell if Sanchez can use the next six-to-eight weeks to his advantage or if Mourinho has already decided the Colombian has no future in north London.
AND in other news, Jose Mourinho has been tipped for crunch talks with an “amazing” Spurs gem who’s unhappy in north London.