Noel Whelan has suggested that Tottenham Hotspur will beat West Ham United to the signing of Jesse Lingard [Football Insider].
The Lowdown: Spurs gear up for life under Espirito Santo
Moving into 2021/22, new Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo will need to re-vitalise a Spurs squad that looked devoid of motivation at times last season.
Despite not venturing full-bloodedly into the transfer market thus far, the Londoners are said to be close to agreeing a deal for Bologna defender Takehiro Tomiyasu [Football 365].
Intriguingly though, a Hammers source previously revealed to Football Insider that West Ham consider Spurs as big rivals in the chase for Lingard, and Whelan now believes that is a move which could indeed go forward.
The Latest: Whelan tips Lingard to move to Spurs this summer
Following that news, the ex-Leeds forward turned pundit believes that 28-year-old Lingard could be swayed to move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the London Stadium this summer.
In an interview with Football Insider, the 46-year-old stated: “You’ve got to look at the bigger picture. Tottenham are rebuilding. He will understand there will be process there that is not going to change overnight. It might take a season.
“When you look at everything that Tottenham have got to offer in terms of stadium, history, players that are already there he could be playing with, he’d absolutely want that.
“You want to play with (Heung-min) Son, you want to play with (Pierre-Emile) Hojbjerg. You want to play with top-class players and be a successful side. Now they could be successful, but not straight away.”
The Verdict: Lingard would be a good addition to the Tottenham fold this summer
Whelan correctly points out the long-term benefits of joining a club the size of Tottenham.
Though West Ham United will feature in the Europa League this season, they are unlikely to consistently achieve the heights of their top six finish last term, in the midst of the increased financial revenue streams their rivals are able to attract.
Needing a sizeable rebuild, Tottenham Hotspur may fall into that category, especially if they facilitate the ground-breaking prospective sale of talisman Harry Kane as uncertainty over his future continues [TEAMtalk].
As for Lingard, he would be a welcome addition in North London due to his creative intuition.
In 2020/21, he enjoyed an outstanding campaign, registering 14 goal contributions from 19 appearances combined for Manchester United and West Ham; nine goals and five assists [Transfermarkt].
Proving to be a constant menace to opposition backlines, the Warrington-born attacking midfielder averaged a total of 2.6 shots per game across the last calendar year [WhoScored].
Spurs could be wise to look to close a deal for the Red Devils man before even more sides join the race.
In other news, Tottenham lead the race for a Serie A ace.