Sissoko only cost Spurs £17m, AC Milan want him


TRANSFER TALK

Sissoko-only-cost-Spurs-£17m
AC Milan are tracking Moussa Sissoko should he become available this summer

After a poor Spurs display and a defeat in which Moussa Sissoko was again poor being played out of position, stories surface once again of interest from Italians AC Milan.

Italian news outlet Calciomercato are re-running the story, although no figures are mentioned. AC Milan were the subject of a takeover from a Chinese consortium Sino Europe Sports so have funds to invest in upgrading their team which has slumped to mid-table in recent years, a far cry from when they were dominant.

It is natural that the 27-year-old (28 in August) is being tracked. He is a French international who had an excellent European Championships last summer but has failed to ignite his career at Spurs.

The deal Daniel Levy struck on deadline day with relegated Newcastle United was a good one. All and sundry are reporting that he cost £30 million (€35.72m - AUS$50.64m - US$37.72m), but he doesn't, he only costs £30 million if he stays the full term of his contract. Levy struck a deal that meant Spurs will only pay £6 million (€7.14m - AUS$10.13m - US$7.54mfor each year he remains at the club, thus he can be sold for a realistic fee.

The initial fee was £17 million (€20.24m - AUS$28.70m - US$21.38m) so if we sell him before deadline day this summer we can recoup our money.

In most transfers a fee is agreed and annual payments made, but just like a loan, these instalments have to be paid so if you sell a player you still owe the full fee, not the case with Sissoko. The absurd £30 million valuation Newcastle United placed on him will not have to be paid therefore. Financial Fair Play rules have meant clubs coming up with increasingly innovative payment structures to avoid falling foul, season-long loan deals with automatic purchase clauses are common practice now like the Nabil Bentaleb and Lewis Holtby deals.

It seems to me that he doesn't have the right mindset to be a top four player. Newcastle United fans spoke of his inconsistency and felt he played when he felt like it, much the same as Victor Wanyama appeared to do during his final season at Southampton.

H is once again, a demonstration of why we need to become world leaders in mentally assessing players before we buy them. We have to try and figure out how they are going to react in any given situation, not spend millions and keep our fingers crossed. It is a naive approach football takes and we take.



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