Dani Alves was a free agent this summer before returning to his native country, Brazil where he has joined Sao Paulo until December 2022. English media outlet, the Express had earlier stated in a report that Tottenham Hotspur made contact with Dani Alves over a potential summer transfer.
It is a well-known fact that Tottenham have a strict transfer policy wherein they focus on investing time and money on younger talents. However, a one-off investment on a free transfer for the 36-year-old Alves would have made a lot of sense for all the parties concerned.
Tottenham ended up selling Kieran Trippier to Atletico Madrid over the summer and did not buy a replacement for the English defender. Indeed, Pochettino has entrusted the right-back position with 22-year-old Kyle Walker-Peters. The youngster has started in all three of Tottenham’s games so far this season, outshining the far more experienced, Serge Aurier.
Serge Aurier did not even make it to the bench in Tottenham’s 2-2 draw on Premier League Matchday 1. The Sun has also stated earlier this month that the Ivory Coast international is keen on leaving the London based club with interest looming from AC Milan and former employees, Paris Saint Germain.
The only other right-back option in the squad is Juan Foyth, who is currently nursing an injury. He is unlikely to have any impact on proceedings until October. The bottom line is that neither of these two young defenders would be able to have an impact that a proven match-winner like Dani Alves could have had on the side.
Dani Alves guided Brazil to the Copa America earlier this summer and reached a career total of 40 trophies. It is indeed not easy to find a player of his experience and character at the very top level, that too on a free transfer. Dani has played for the likes of European powerhouses like Sevilla, Barcelona, Juventus and Paris Saint Germain.
Alves’ winning mentality and experience would have come in handy for a Spurs side which is aiming to achieve some serious silverware this season. One might argue that Alves does not have age on his side at 36. However, the player was fundamental in guiding Paris Saint Germain to the Ligue 1 title last season and even guided Brazil to Copa America glory.
It all seems like an unforced error by Mauricio Pochettino and his crew. This could very well haunt Tottenham this season who have had a dismal start to the campaign with only four points in three matchdays.
