Tottenham Hotspur are considering meeting Mohammed Diame's £3.5 million release clause and persuading the player to come to White Hart Lane, according to The Guardian. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has reportedly come to view the player as an interesting investment, and one with greater potential value for money than the other transfer targets his manager, Andre Villas-Boas has identified. The North London side have recently pulled out of the race to sign Portugal star Joao Moutinho, who was part of the Porto side who lifted the Europa League under Villas-Boas' management. However, a price tag in excess of £20 million put Spurs off, and a £3.5 million deal for onr of the most consistent performers in the Premier League this season would represent much less of a risk.
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce stated yesterday that the club had received no bids for Diame, and that he hoped the Senegal international would stay at the Boleyn Ground beyond the January transfer window. Diame himself issued a statement on the club website reassuring supporters of his commitment to the club, so as things stand, the defensive midfielder is going nowhere. However, both Spurs and North London neighbours Arsenal have been linked with the player since before the transfer window opened, and both could be biding their time before making a move. Spurs, of course, waited until the final day of the 2011 summer transfer window before making a bid to sign England international Scott Parker from West Ham, and eventually did so at the cut-price sum of £5 million- less than the Hammers originally paid for the midfielder from Newcastle in 2007.
An added complication to the situation is the fact that Diame has a contract deadline of the weekend; meaning that if any bids are made for his services, they will have to be made today. In other words, if no bids are made for Mohammed Diame today, he is likely to stay at Upton Park and sign a new contract at the weekend. So for us Irons, no news today is good news. Let's hope we're celebrating no news in the pub this Friday night...
By Alex Shilling
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