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Player Tottenham or West Ham could have signed for free this summer has just received Ballon d’Or nomination
Tottenham and West Ham both made some bargain signings this summer.
Spurs welcomed Swedish wonderkid Lucas Bergvall to N17 in an £8m deal, while the £30m signing of Archie Gray could prove to be a steal too, seeing as the England U21 international has been tipped to emulate £105m man Declan Rice.
West Ham also did well to sign Guido Rodriguez – who Liverpool looked at – on a free transfer.
However, a player Tottenham or West Ham could have signed for free has just been nominated to win the Ballon d’Or…
Mats Hummels receives Ballon d’Or nomination after Tottenham and West Ham links
Mats Hummels has now been nominated for the Ballon d’Or after an outstanding 2023/24 campaign with Borussia Dortmund.
The German made 40 appearances – scoring four goals – as Borussia Dortmund reached the UEFA Champions League final, with one of those four strikes helping the Bundesliga side overcome PSG in the last four.
TBR Football understand that West Ham held talks to sign Hummels on a free transfer – after Julen Lopetegui allowed Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd to depart the London Stadium.
Reports suggest Tottenham also spoke to Hummels about a move to London, but the 35-year-old has just joined Roma on a 12-month contract.
Ange Postecoglou and Julen Lopetegui were up against it
By the sounds of it, Spurs and the Hammers were always fighting an uphill battle to lure the man from Bergisch Gladbach to London, when Rome was also on the table.
Sources inform TBR Football that Hummels was tempted by a move to London – specifically West Ham after talks with Tim Steidten – but decided against a switch to the Premier League.
Now, as the Germany international receives a nomination for the coveted Ballon d’Or award, it is starting to feel as if Tottenham and West Ham should have made more of an effort to convince a player who was clearly the standout name in the free agent market.