The month of January has been consumed by endless speculation over potential new signings at Premier League clubs, with Tottenham Hotspur part of the media merry-go-round but as yet to bring any new players to the club.
The latest rumbling sees Paris Saint-Germain winger Lucas Moura touted as a possible addition for Mauricio Pochettino’s men, with the South American attacker an exciting target.
The Telegraph report that Tottenham have invited the Brazil international to London and the 25-year-old has taken a tour of the club’s training facilities ahead of a possible move.
Talk of a £22 million offer is rife and online bookmakers have placed Spurs as firm favourites to land Moura at odds of 7/4 here.
Regardless of whether the deal for Moura is completed or succumbs to an inevitable roadblock before the transfer window closes on Wednesday night, one aspect of the story is of real interest.
The fact that Tottenham are inviting a major player to look at their training resources shows the confidence that the club have in matching the facilities at other major clubs.
Moura will be well-used to world-class training pitches at PSG and will have experienced similar facilities at Champions League opponents throughout his time in the French capital.
Tottenham have invested heavily in the club’s infrastructure, with a long-term plan to propel Spurs to the echelons of the world game and change perceptions.
Tottenham in the recent past has been regarded as a team that struggles to compete with English and European football’s wealthiest – and the £300,000 weekly wages of Alexis Sanchez at Manchester United show this is still the case.
However, the North London outfit have invested heavily in the club’s training facilities and now have infrastructure in place that is the envy of any of their Premier League rivals.
To say the new state-of-the-art training centre is impressive is an understatement – and it looks like Pochettino, Daniel Levy and the Tottenham hierarchy have twigged onto the need to shout about it.
Instead of sending a delegation to meet Moura in Paris and tell the Brazilian just how important he would be at Spurs, a change in approach seems evident.
Bringing him to Hotspur Way to show him top-class facilities, where world-class players, international captains and Champions League stars train every day will surely have real appeal.
All of a sudden, the potential perception that Moura may have had of Tottenham could change and he will see that Spurs are a club well-and-truly heading in the right direction.
The next step in this process of transforming the Lilywhites into one of Europe’s most prestigious is well underway, with the latest images of the club’s new stadium having supporters massively excited.
The new 61,500 venue, which is being constructed at a cost of £850 million, will be a worthy home for Tottenham from next season and confirms the next stage in the club’s development.
In regards to Moura and potential new signings in the future, it is impossible for these players not to be impressed by Tottenham, the facilities at hand, the calibre of the first-team squad, the manager and the direction the club are moving in.
Thankfully, Levy and the Spurs big wigs are seemingly starting to shout about the progress that has been made in recent years – which will be a major selling point in Tottenham’s appeal to possible recruits.