Tottenham Forced to Rethink Attack After Gakpo Chooses City

Liverpool attacker Cody Gakpo has decided he wants to join Manchester City rather than Tottenham Hotspur, according to David Ornstein. Manchester City and Liverpool are now in negotiations to find an agreement.

Cartilage Free Captain, reporting Ornstein’s update, says the clubs have entered talks after Gakpo made his preference known. No figures on the potential deal were included in the report.

Why Spurs Missed Out

Cartilage Free Captain noted that Gakpo’s choice of City over Tottenham was unsurprising given City’s recent Premier League success and Tottenham’s 17th-place finishes in consecutive seasons. The article also suggested that Enzo Maresca’s arrival in place of Pep Guardiola had not changed City’s appeal enough to alter this particular transfer race.

The report’s author questioned whether Gakpo would have been the right fit for Tottenham at the likely price, while acknowledging that he would have improved the side. That assessment compared him to a player who raises a team’s floor but may not justify the cost.

What Tottenham Could Do Next

With Tuesday’s transfer deadline approaching, Tottenham will need to consider other attacking options. Past rumours cited by Cartilage Free Captain included Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye and Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk.

Gakpo’s preference does not mean a deal between City and Liverpool has been completed, as the clubs remain in negotiations. Tottenham, meanwhile, face the prospect of looking elsewhere before the window closes.