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Say one thing about the Federico Fazio deal: it moves quickly. Just a few hours after reports came out that Tottenham Hotspur central defender Federico Fazio was undergoing a medical at West Brom, new reports are saying that the deal is on hold.
#WestBroms's move Federico Fazio has broken down over personal terms. More follows. #Tottenham #WBA #COYS
— Lyall Thomas (@SkySportsLyall) August 21, 2015
Understand Fazio passed medical. Deal agreed at £5m but #WBA now looking at other options. Could re-explore a loan option for him. #COYS
— Lyall Thomas (@SkySportsLyall) August 21, 2015
In the meantime, Albion will look at other targets including Jonny Evans, whose odds to move to The Hawthorns have dropped today. #wba
— Steve Madeley (@smadeley_star) August 21, 2015
We already know about Lyall Thomas and his good record on transfer rumors, and Steve Madeley is a beat reporter for West Brom that looks to have solid sources. This seems to be a well-sourced statement.
The reported transfer fee of £5m is £2m less than what Spurs paid Sevilla for Fazio a year ago, and while Fazio's Tottenham wages aren't listed anywhere public, whatever it is it's apparently more than what the Baggies are willing to pay. And whatever Fazio's agent is demanding, I guess they feel that they might get Jonny Evans for cheaper.
The loan option is intriguing, though I suspect that if Spurs are that keen to get rid of Fazio already, then a loan might not be the best solution from a Tottenham perspective. After all, if Fazio departs, Spurs are then a little thin at the back, especially if Eric Dier continues to play as a defensive midfielder. On the other hand, a Fazio departure lead to a chance for Milos Veljkovic or Cameron Carter-Vickers in Europa or the Cups, and that's not a bad thing either.
At any rate, it's back to a state of limbo for our Argentine center back. We'll continue to monitor developments.