Chelsea star Michy Batshuayi was reportedly a subject of interest for Tottenham Hotspur on the January deadline day, but eventually joined Crystal Palace on loan.
As per a report from Belgian newspaper DH, Tottenham Hotspur made a late attempt to sign Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi on the transfer deadline day last month, but were rejected by their London rivals.
Batshuayi has been with Chelsea for more than two years now, but hasn’t been able to nail down a starting berth in the Blues’ first-team. The Belgian international spent the second half of the last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund, where he was a huge hit, but endured a torrid time at Valencia in the first half of the ongoing term.
The 25-year-old managed just a solitary goal in his 15 La Liga appearances for Los Che, prompting them to cut short his loan spell midway through the season. He was not seen as a part of plans moving forward under Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea, alerting Tottenham to his potential availability.
Following injuries to Harry Kane and Dele Alli, Tottenham have found themselves short on numbers in the attacking positions, with Mauricio Pochettino having Fernando Llorente as the only out and out striker at his disposal, forcing him to use Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura in central roles in attack.
Pochettino was believed to be keen on adding another natural centre-forward to his ranks in order to boost his team’s bench strength during the injury crisis.
And as per the report, the Tottenham boss was recommended to sign Batshuayi by Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa. The Argentine manager, who was recently involved in the infamous spygate incident, is a close friend of Pochettino and advised the Spurs’ boss to pursue Batshuayi’s signing.
Tottenham are believed to have made an approach on the deadline day of the transfer window to take Batshuayi on loan for the remainder of the season. Chelsea demanded a huge loan fee of £8 million to let him go, which Spurs were willing to pay, only for the Blues to pull out of the deal as they were wary of strengthening a direct rival.
Instead, they loaned him out Crystal Palace for whom he made his debut in the 2-0 win against Fulham on Saturday and laid on the assist for the Eagles’ second goal.
While Tottenham have could have definitely used with adding another body to their attacking contingent in January, the performances of Llorente and Son in recent matches provide them with enough optimism to see through the injury-hit period without any major mishaps.
As far as Batshuayi is concerned, the loan spell at Palace allows him a chance to rediscover his form and get his career back on track. But, it is unlikely that he has a long-term future at Chelsea and a move away from Stamford Bridge on a permanent basis is very much likely in the summer window.
