Tottenham Hotspur have now held talks over a deal to sign an attacking star in what would see them get one over on Premier League rivals Aston Villa.
Tudor: Tottenham survival a matter of “life and death”
If Igor Tudor wasn’t aware of the job on his hands ahead of arriving in North London, then last weekend’s 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal would have slammed it home.
Tottenham are in deep trouble in the Premier League. With trips to face Liverpool, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Sunderland awaiting in the final 11 games of their league campaign, the Lilywhites sit just four points clear of the dropzone.
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Tudor has quick to realise the extent of the situation, however, and even went as far as to say that the season is now a matter of “life and death”.
The interim boss told reporters earlier this week: “You know in a physical condition because it’s fantastic to go to press up and that’s when I speak about style. That’s also one part of the style, how you want to be without the ball, but then, if you have too much problems (at the) back, you need to think about the style?
“Is it the right style? Is it the right way? You can call it how you want, so I need to be smart to understand deeper the moment and the way how to take the points.
“Even not looking to the style now at this moment. The style needs to be in the second moment, because now it’s a question of life and death if I can say that in that way sportingly.”
It’s also worth pointing out that Tottenham are still planning for life as a Premier League club, especially on the transfer front. Targets like Dean Henderson and now Moussa Diaby are still on their radar, for example.
Tottenham hold talks over signing Moussa Diaby
Should they stay in the Premier League, the Lilywhites look set to focus on attacking improvement. According to TeamTalk, Tottenham have been contacted over a deal to sign Diaby from Al-Ittihad this summer, with intermediaries holding talks with a number of clubs.
Aston Villa are among those other clubs being offered a deal. The Villans initially sold the winger to the Saudi Arabian club in 2024 for a hefty £50m, but have now been offered the chance to bring him back to the Midlands.
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Club chiefs at Villa Park will be sweating by Tottenham’s presence, however. As much as they are levels above Spurs on the pitch, those in North London are still likely to have more financial freedom than Aston Villa this summer.
If Diaby is looking to keep hold of his Saudi salary then a deal won’t come cheap, either. The Frenchman earns an eye-watering £254,000-a-week at Al-Ittihad, which would make him the highest earner at both Tottenham and Aston Villa.
Rank
Player
Gross pay per week
Gross pay per year
1
Conor Gallagher
£200,000
£10,400,000
=2
Xavi Simons
£195,000
£10,140,000
=2
Cristian Romero
£195,000
£10,140,000
4
James Maddison
£170,000
£8,840,000
=5
Mohammed Kudus
£150,000
£7,800,000
Dubbed “fantastic” by Emery during his time in the Midlands, whether Spurs or Villa turn their interest into a formal offer is now the big question.