Tottenham have been warned not to make the same mistake if Harry Kane quits the club as they did after Gareth Bale left.
Kane has been linked with Manchester United, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Juventus after admitting he may have to leave Tottenham in his quest to win major honours.
Tottenham have slapped a £150million price tag on their star striker, which would far eclipse the £85.3 million they received for Bale in 2013 – at the time a world record fee.
Spurs had not lined up a proper replacement for Bale, but spent the cash from his move to Real Madrid on players like Roberto Soldado, Erik Lamela and Paulinho – few of whom worked out long-term.
And ex-Tottenham keeper Paul Robinson has warned his former club that if Kane is to leave they must get the right deal for the 26-year-old – and they must sign the right players to replace him.
(Image: PA)
“It is difficult when a player of that magnitude and that quality says that they want to leave a club – it’s just like with Gareth Bale,” Robinson told the Express.
“The deal has to be right. In the past, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has made sure the deals are right and he has got excellent value for players.
“The deal would have to be right for everybody and it would have to be a very large sum of money that could be reinvested into the squad.
“The squad needs strengthening. To take Harry out of the equation you would need to reinvest the money very sensibly. You only have to look at Bale.”
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After Bale left, Tottenham signed Soldado, Paulinho, Etienne Capoue, Nacer Chadli, Vlad Chiriches, Christian Eriksen and Lamela for a total of around £106 million.
Of those, only Eriksen and Lamela were long-term successes, with Soldado, Paulinho and Capoue all sold for a loss after two seasons and Chadli leaving after three campaigns.
Tottenham, who reached the Champions League final last year but were beaten by Liverpool, sacked manager Mauricio Pochettino earlier this season and replaced him with Jose Mourinho.
But they have continued to struggle, having been knocked out of the Champions League and the FA Cup and lying seven points off the pace in the race for a top-four spot – not helped by a crippling injury list.
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And Robinson, who played 175 games for Spurs between 2004 and 2008 and won 41 England caps, said the club must re-evaluate if they are in a similar position by the midpoint of next season.
He said: “There will be an interesting conversation with Spurs next season if they are not challenging on any front midway through.”
Robinson also urged Spurs to sign Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope this summer as a replacement for Frenchman Hugo Lloris.
