Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Lille transfer link raises question mark over Tottenham man Nuno criticised

Zeki.Celik_.Lille_.2021.TEAMtalk1

Tottenham remain interested in Lille full-back Zeki Celik, who was linked with a move to Arsenal and Manchester United over the summer, claims a report.

Celik helped Lille pip Paris Saint-German to the French title last season. That seemed to spark interest from around Europe with Arsenal said to be interested over the summer. Manchester United, Tottenham and Serie A champions Inter Milan were also linked.

A move never transpired for the right-back and Spurs subsequently landed Emerson Royal from Barcelona.

However, according to Tuttomercatoweb, Spurs “have not given up” on the defender. They suggest the player was one of Spurs’ “first goals” of the summer.

Celik was also on Spurs’ radar under Jose Mourinho, and in November 2020 he confirmed that he would be keen to test himself in the Premier League one day.

“I heard that there was interest from Tottenham,” he told So Foot (via Get French Football News). “But I don’t know if they made an offer.

“In any case, I know that the Premier League is a league that I am attracted to. But I am happy to have stayed here when you look at the start to the season that we have had.”

Atletico Madrid have also taken notice of Celik, whose form has continued in Ligue 1 this season.

Per the report, Lille were asking for €20m for him a year ago, and under contract until 2023, it’s unlikely his value has started to depreciate just yet.

Spurs hold talks with Monaco for Aurelian Tchouameni

Spurs hold talks with Monaco for Aurelian Tchouameni

Tottenham sporting director Fabio Paratici has reportedly held talks with Monaco for midfielder Aurelian Tchouameni, with more updates on Dusan Vlahovic and Joe Rodon.

 

Whether Spurs will advance their interest in January remains unclear, but the interest does raise a question mark over Emerson.

Emerson sealed a switch on deadline day for a fee of £21.4m and has made five starts in the Premier League.

However, he has struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League.


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Emerson Royal struggles

He struggled with Wilfried Zaha’s trickery on his Tottenham debut. The new boy was also at fault for Odsonne Edouard’s goal and the Evening Standard rated him 5/10.

Still it did not stop Spurs’ official Twitter account post a picture of Emerson tussling with Zaha, with a caption of “debut”, accompanied by a crown emoji.

A large numbers of Spurs fans reacted negatively to the tweet and Nuno Espirito Santo did comment about the player in last month’s win over Aston Villa.

“I think we have to be very patient with all the players. I honestly think he has to improve. He had a good game and he was stable, especially in the way that he controlled the width.

“He was really good going forward. I think he had moments when he should have decided better when he was in the box. But not only Emerson, I think all the team, it was important for us,” said the Spurs boss.

READ MORE: Nuno orders Tottenham January bid for former Wolves target Benitez also wants