Swansea ready to bid £8m for out of favor Spurs midfielder

Tom Carroll has been linked with Swansea City for a while now, but the rumors of his departure have been heating up again with the appointment of new Swans boss Paul Clement. According to the Telegraph, Clement is mixing things up at the Welsh club in an attempt to stave off relegation and is considering making an £8m bid for Carroll.

Swansea is probably the most logical destination for Tom, who has looked set for an exit since before the summer transfer window started. He’s been firmly last in the central midfield pecking order this season and hasn’t been seen in a first team match at all since the 2-1 loss to Liverpool in the EFL Cup last October.

He also already spent what was considered a successful one year loan at Swansea under Garry Monk back in 2014-15, so he’s well known to Swans fans, if not to the current management. And the Swansea links aren’t coming out of left field, either — Bob Bradley, before he was sacked, admitted that the club were looking at him as a potential option to help bolster their central midfield options.

I’m keeping my emotions in check as I write this, but must make this point: £8m for what would effectively be Tottenham’s fifth choice central midfielder is... well, it’s pretty amazing. Consider, for example, the fact that Spurs paid £11m for Victor Wanyama this summer. And consider too what Swansea would be getting in return: a player who is the natural successor to Xavi were he to play for Barcelona, and one who the Catalan giants should’ve snapped up as a replacement for Ivan Rakitic. Tom Carroll is an international treasure, and Swansea is getting the deal of a lifetime. Trust me.

This is not a done deal, of course, but Wee Tommy’s departure is looking more and more likely. When the time comes, I shall rend my garments and compose his farewell post through a veil of my own tears.