‘I hate to say’: Sutton 100% right about big Daniel Levy decision at Tottenham.
Chris Sutton has remarked that when Daniel Levy chose to sign Ange Postecoglou from Celtic to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2023, he was perfectly correct.
In the summer of 2023, Tottenham Hotspur made the decision to hire Ange Postecoglou as their new manager and acquired him from Celtic.
Postecoglou enjoyed great success while at Celtic.
With the Hoops, the 58-year-old won the Scottish Premiership twice, the Scottish Cup once, and the Scottish League Cup twice.
Under Postecoglou, Tottenham has had a great start to the year.
Spurs are winning games while playing fantastic football.
With 10 points from four games, Tottenham is now ranked second in the Premier League, just two points behind leader and reigning champion Manchester City.
Praise for Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou
When Spurs chairman Daniel Levy decided to bring Postecoglou to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, former Chelsea and Celtic striker Chris Sutton commented that he was correct about Postecoglou and the influence that he would make at Tottenham.
“I hate to say ‘I told you so,’ but I did tell everyone how good Tottenham would be to watch under Ange Postecoglou,” Sutton said on BBC Sport when forecasting a 3-0 victory for Tottenham against Sheffield United in the Premier League this next weekend.
I enjoy watching “Angeball,” and this season, Spurs have played some of the league’s best football while also producing some successful outcomes.
Ange Postecoglou a good fit for Tottenham Hotspur
Ange Postecoglou, in our opinion, is a perfect fit for Tottenham Hotspur.
Although it is still early and we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves, we must admit that it has been fantastic thus far.
Spurs supporters are adoring Postecoglou’s football because it is so entertaining to watch.
Tottenham won’t be one of the clubs vying for the Premier League championship this year, but the North London club will undoubtedly contend for a top-four finish.
READ ALSO:
Worse than Emerson: Levy made big Spurs mistake on dud whose value has dropped £16m – opinion
With one poor addition, the Lilywhites appear to have made a worse mistake than the acquisition of Emerson Royal.
Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham Hotspur’s new manager, is ushering in a new era after the team’s stormy recent years under managers like Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
The Lilywhites have had a winning start to the new Premier League season with three victories and one draw thus far, despite losing Harry Kane to Bayern Munich. The former Celtic manager has already left his mark on the proceedings during his early stay.
Hugo Lloris, the club’s previous captain, also appears to be out of the picture following those adjustments and modifications, despite having secured a spot in the club’s 25-man Premier League squad. Long-serving misfit Eric Dier was also replaced.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has also had a difficult start to the season after being judged surplus to requirements over the summer, as Postecoglou tries to break sharply from the Conte administration.
Emerson Royal, a Brazilian defender who started 20 league games last season, has fallen behind Pedro Porro in the right-back pecking order in recent weeks and has also mostly been kept on the sidelines.
The former Barcelona player, who was previously labeled a “disaster” by ex-Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara, is undoubtedly not the worst signing in recent memory; in actuality, the acquisition of Ryan Sessegnon from Fulham has been considerably more disappointing.
How much was Ryan Sessegnon worth at Fulham?
When the north Londoners signed the young Englishman back in 2019, it appeared to be somewhat of a coup because the teenager had seen an incredible climb after making his first-team debut at the age of just 16 a few years earlier.
Despite being relatively young, the versatile speedster, who can play anywhere down the left wing, has amassed an outstanding total of 25 goals and 18 assists in 120 appearances across all competitions for the Cottagers, having played in both the Premier League and the Championship with the west Londoners.
After scoring 16 goals and dishing out six assists in the league during the 2017–18 season, the former England U21 international stood out in the second tier, and there are rumors that he might cost a fee of about £50 million.
How much did Tottenham pay for Ryan Sessegnon?
The 5-foot-10 dynamo was brought in during what turned out to be Mauricio Pochettino’s final transfer window as manager, along with players like Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso, as the team sought to build on its Champions League run from the previous season.
Manchester United and other clubs had competitive interest in the full-back, but it was Daniel Levy and company who ultimately prevailed, signing him for an initial sum of about £25 million.
With only two goals and six assists for his previous employers in the top division in 2018–19, Sessesgnon didn’t exactly light up the globe, so the £50 million price tag that had been previously circulated still represented a bit of a leap of faith.
Levy may look back and regret he had used those funds differently because the 23-year-old’s subsequent four years have been disappointing and hampered by injuries.
How much is Ryan Sessegnon worth now?
The Roehampton-born loser, who spent the 2020–21 season on loan at Hoffenheim, has only made 56 appearances across all competitions so far, scoring three goals and providing just four assists in that time due to various injury concerns.
The £55k a week player is now out with a hamstring injury. However, last season, Conte preferred Ivan Perisic or Ben Davies in that left-wing position, and the player appeared just 17 times in league play. Only nine of those appearances came from the opening kickoff.
According to CIES Football Observatory, the once-promising prospect is now estimated to be worth just €10 million (£9 million). This represents a decline of £16 million since his original arrival four years ago.
For comparison, the aforementioned Emerson, who was also signed for £25 million in 2021, is still valued at €30 million (£25 million), despite having previously been referred to as “dreadful” by journalist Josh Bunting.
That shows what a terrible acquisition Sessegnon has been for the north London team thus far, and it remains to be seen if there is still any hope for a comeback whenever he ultimately makes his injury-related return.
Ryan Sessegnon: How good is he?
The Englishman hasn’t exactly won over fans and analysts with his recent performances; in fact, O’Hara bluntly criticized the player as “not good enough” back in January.
Then, last year, club insider John Wenham delivered a scathing evaluation, referring to Sessegnon as “a Championship player” and adding the following observations:
“We purchased him as this young man with amazing potential and all the necessary qualities. He was exactly the signing I wanted the team to make, so I was overjoyed when we got him.
“But you can look back and see that you were mistaken about some things. Regarding Sessegnon, I was completely mistaken.
He is not fast. Since suffering a hamstring injury, he has stopped taking on new clients. What good is having a wing-back who can’t beat a guy, isn’t strong enough, and can’t deliver a cross if your side isn’t set up to profit from attacking wing-backs?
While Emerson, a 24-year-old, did experience something of a comeback last season and has already scored once this campaign to suggest he may still have a future at N17 even if he is not first-choice, the verdict is yet out on whether or not Sessegnon can find a path back.
Although the £9 million-rated asset, who has just two years left on his current deal, first appeared to be an exciting signing, Levy has since come to regret it.
