The reasons why the deal fell through and how much Galatasaray center-back Victor Nelsson wanted to sign with Tottenham last summer are both disclosed in a report.
With the advent of Ange Postecoglou, Spurs were anxious to reinforce their defense, with the Australian seeing central defence as a vulnerability that needed to be addressed.
In fact, Tottenham gave up 63 goals in their 38 Premier League games in the 2022–2023 season, a season in which they ended an extremely poor eighth in the standings.
Last season, Spurs’ core defense options included the unruly Cristian Romero in addition to Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, Clement Lenglet, and Ben Davies.
In light of this, several players were mentioned as potential North London transfers last summer, with Nelsson very much in the running to join Spurs.
But Tottenham eventually acquired Dutch sensation Micky van de Ven after a protracted hunt, and the player has excelled in his first season with the team.
However, things might have turned out rather differently if Postecoglou’s attempt to get Nelsson from the Turkish team had succeeded.
Spurs were reportedly the clear favorites to sign the Denmark international, who was also quite eager to move to London, according to reports at the time.
But Galatasaray wanted about £21 million to release him, and Tottenham balked at such demand, which caused the transfer to fall through.
January saw discussions about the transfer possibly happening again, but Postecoglou decided to sign Radu Dragusin of Genoa instead.
Though Spurs still have a tendency to let goals away by taking too many chances in control at the back, the Romanian has not played much since his departure. Romero and Van de Ven make quite a formidable defensive duo.
Although Romero’s sporadic carelessness had previously opened the door for backups, Nelsson would have probably experienced the same fate as Dragusin had he relocated to north London.
Tottenham’s Premier League trip to Aston Villa on Sunday is a major matchup.
They still have a game in hand, and a victory at Villa Park would put them within two points of fourth-place Villa in the competition for Champions League football.
Pedro Porro, a right back who has been out due to injury for the last two games against Wolves and Crystal Palace, will also be a boost for Postecoglou in that match.
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