Paris agreement

Is Ligue 1 the most pointless competition in world football right now? This year’s title race is already looking like a closed shop. If AS Monaco were hoping to build on last season’s improbable success, they’ve found a novel way to consolidate power. The much-maligned Sell All of Your Best Players approach.

Tiémoué Bakayoko, Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy have all left the Mediterranean coast for the Premier League this summer with Kylian Mbappé’s future still yet undecided. In true Monte Carlo spirit, Les Monégasques have cashed in their chips and are calling it a night.

PSG on the other hand— Monaco’s closest rival —well they’re now fishing with dynamite. Neymar joined the Parisian super club this week, for an FFP-friendly £200m. That’s more than two Paul Pogbas or, if you’re that way inclined: roughly 66 Jonathan Walters. Beyond rationality, in the words of Arsène Wenger.

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Meanwhile, across the Channel. Spurs and Mauricio Pochettino are treading an altogether different path. The road less travelled. The North London club are searching for value, in a world where the phrase appears to have lost all meaning.

So far, it’s proved quite the challenge.

As you may’ve heard, Spurs have spent the grand total of zero pounds this window, with just six days to go until the big kick-off.

Cut-price Simeone

With Pochettino having to curb his spending enthusiasm, then, and time running out. What bargains are left to be had in this ever-spiralling market?

Giovanni Simeone, son of Diego, is a name that’s been mentioned in some media corners this week. The 22-yeard old Genoa striker scored 12 goals in 35 appearances for Serie A’s oldest club last season, having won numerous titles in Argentina with River Plate as a teenager.

He certainly has the qualities of a modern Spurs player— albeit a little short on technical quality. Simeone’s young, hard-working, a handy finisher and looks to have inherited some of his father’s, shall we say, Latin American enthusiasm. A keenness which translated into nearly two fouls per game in 2017/18.

Tuttosport have suggested that Genoa are holding out for £20m for the talented frontman but most sources agree that Daniel Levy and his trusty negotiation mallet would be able to topple that fee down to around £14m. And at that price, Spurs can afford to take a risk.

Let’s hope he can play right-back, too.