Philippe Coutinho would be a “world-class” addition for Spurs, admits Darren Bent, but questions will be asked of whether the north London outfit are capable of landing such talent.
The former Spurs striker told Football Insider of the Coutinho talk: “That’s the one you’ve got to get, you need them type of signings coming through the door because he is definitely somebody who is exciting, can do good things.
“He’s that world-class name that people will be like: ‘Okay, Spurs are taking it seriously.’
“You look at last season, we thought they were linked with a couple of superstars – Coutinho, Dybala – and they couldn’t get it over the line.
“Were they really interested in getting these players in or was it just to appease the crowd? But obviously, if they can somehow get this guy in the door, then what a signing that is.”
Bent is not the first to suggest that Mourinho should be doing all he can to get Coutinho on board.
Ex-Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson has said: “I can see him [joining] a top-six Premier League side – Tottenham included.
“You saw how good he was at Liverpool and when he went to Barca you expected big things from him but it did not work out and he got moved on to Bayern.
“The Premier League may be a realistic option for him. Whether it is Liverpool or Tottenham, he would be an asset anywhere he went.
“Listen, if you can get a player like that then you have decisions to make on what you have in your squad. What does Jose want to work with?
“If you get the option to sign a world-class player like Coutinho you look at the squad and you offload in other areas to allow a player of that quality into your squad.”