by There are transfer sagas like Emerson Royal’s to AC Milan or Harry Kane’s to Bayern Munich; and then there is an absolute TRANSFER BOMB like this one. Without any leaks or reports beforehand, Spurs today announced the signing of Burnley winger Wilson Odobert:
We are delighted to announce that we have reached an agreement for the permanent transfer of Wilson Odobert from Burnley, subject to formalities ✍️
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) 16 August 2024
Speaking of out of the blue! Or at least out of the burgundy and blue.
This incident went so unnoticed that I didn’t even list it in my Bat Country spreadsheet that I use to track rumors and names. Johan Lange obviously likes to move stealthily when possible. The announcement of the signing is also funny, as the usual media coverage of such a signing is noticeably absent. My theory is that the announcement was rushed so that Odobert could be registered in time for the Leicester game, but perhaps the Spurs Twitter admin simply decided to take a sick day today?
More information on the details of the deal is leaking out, but it seems to be a £25m transfer fee, with £5m add-ons and a 10% sell-on clause for Burnley. That might sound high, but honestly that’s the going rate for talented young players right now, and Odobert IS talented, with first-team minutes at Troyes in Ligue 1 before scoring 3 goals and 2 assists in 25 appearances for Burnley in the Premier League last season. That’s honestly pretty impressive for a guy who was 18 when the season started.
Odobert plays primarily on the left but has also spent time on the right and in the middle as well as up front. And you want dribbles? Odobert will give you dribbles. He loves to take on a man, with great tackling and carrying numbers, which is arguably what Ange Postecoglou’s side lacks. However, this is a signing made at least in part on the basis of potential – make no mistake, Odobert is NOT the finished product and this is a signing that may not work out.
That’s not to say there isn’t a lot to like here though. I think when efforts to sign Pedro Neto failed, Lange checked out the state of the elite winger market and wasn’t exactly thrilled with what he saw. When you have young wingers like Desire Doue who fetch around £50m, it just gets a bit silly – so instead Lange took a long-term risk and banked on youth to provide an option that could reap huge rewards in the years to come.
Welcome to the club, Wilson – we can’t wait to see what you can do!
