Tottenham midfielder Giovani Lo Celso was a target for Barcelona, but the deal didn’t happen as Ange Postecoglou made it clear he wanted the Argentine in his squad.
That’s according to Sport, who say that the midfielder was a ‘possible reinforcement’ for the Catalans throughout the summer transfer window.
The newspaper explains that Lo Celso will be remaining at Tottenham until the January transfer window, despite his future having been open this summer.
They state that Barcelona were keen on him as manager Xavi likes Lo Celso as a player and put him on his list of possible options to bolster his squad.
They even went as far as to have an ‘informal approach’ with Tottenham, but the Premier League made strict demands if a deal was to happen.
Spurs were unwilling to do any sort of deal that wasn’t a full transfer or a loan with a mandatory purchase and neither of those things were offered.
Tottenham also had to take Postecoglou into account and the Australian coach ‘is counting on him’ and wants to have him as part of his squad rotation this season. That made Spurs stance firmer and thus a move wasn’t done.
He remains a possible option for Barcelona for the future but for now his focus has to be on Tottenham, who weren’t willing to sanction a deal ‘without getting anything in return’.
Read also: Postecoglou stung, as reasons for two Tottenham transfers collapsing despite big bids emerge
Tottenham saw raids on Chelsea and Bournemouth fall short on deadline day despite lodging bids totalling £60m, and the reasons why have now surfaced.
Spurs conducted their fair share of business on deadline day, with the £47m arrival of Brennan Johnson the headline attraction.
The ex-Nottingham Forest forward will provide another lively option in Postecoglou’s attack. Johnson can operate anywhere across the frontline, though Sky Sports previously suggested he’ll primarily be used on the wings.
Elsewhere, Japhet Tanganga completed a loan switch to Augsburg that contains a conditional obligation to buy.
The clause – worth a reported €6m (approx. £5.1m) – is tied to an appearance target and Augsburg avoiding relegation from the Bundesliga.
Left-back Sergio Reguilon filled a hole at Manchester United when joining on loan. The Red Devils explored late left-back moves due to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia both being sidelined through injury.
However, Tottenham also saw moves for Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher and Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly fall short.
The Evening Standard reported Spurs verbally offered £40m for Gallagher. For Kelly, the bid was £20m, per the Athletic.
Both proposals were rejected and the reasons why the moves couldn’t be secured have now emerged.
Tottenham failures linked to their own players
Firstly, Football London reported Bournemouth grew increasingly reluctant to part ways with Kelly. The 24-year-old defender is a key player on the south coast and losing him so late in the window would’ve been disastrous.
Furthermore, the Athletic stated Spurs centre-back Eric Dier had been offered as part of the switch to ensure Bournemouth received a readymade replacement.
However, despite being out in the cold in north London, Dier refused to move. A separate Spurs attempt to offload Dier to Nottingham Forest also failed.
A fresh update from the Evening Standard states Kelly’s potential signing effectively relied on Dier leaving. When Dier put on the brakes, Postecoglou and Tottenham could not act.
It’s a similar story regarding Gallagher, with the report adding his potential move to Spurs hinged on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg first leaving.
Hojbjerg was the subject of a bid from Fulham who hastily attempted to sign a replacement for Joao Palhinha.
However, once Palhinha’s move to Bayern Munich fell apart when the German 5pm deadline passed, Fulham had no need to sign Hojbjerg.
What’s more, various sources suggested the Dane wasn’t all that keen on joining the Cottagers anyway.
As such, with Hojbjerg staying put just like Dier, Spurs’ moves for Gallagher and Kelly subsided.
