Spurs fail in late Zahavi bid

Tottenham Hotspur made a last-minute move for Eran Zahavi of Guangzhou R&F, according to The Telegraph, but it turned out they had left it too late.

The North Londoners desperately needed to sign an attacking player to help fill the void created by the long absence of Harry Kane, but their late effort to bring in Zahavi from China could not be completed in time.

Spurs were initially interested in Odion Ighalo, but they pulled out of the race for his signature with manager Jose Mourinho unconvinced of the former Watford striker’s capabilities. Their decision practically cleared the path for Manchester United, who ended up signing the 30-year-old on a six-month loan.

At the age of 32, Zahavi is at the moment the leading goalscorer in the Chinese Super League. His contract there runs for another 12 months.  The Israel international spent the most of his career in his homeland, apart from a two-season loan spell at Palermo where he wasn’t very successful.