Ange Postecoglou scoffed at the suggestion James Maddison could be the bargain transfer of the season.
That's not any slight on the creative midfielder since his arrival in North London, rather the fact that Spurs paid around £45million for the England international.
The 26-year-old was on the scoresheet for Postecoglou's side in a 2-0 win over Bournemouth on Saturday.
And after the match, Postecoglou was asked whether the signing could be a top bargain considering transfer fees for single players topping £100m this summer.
A reporter asks Spurs manager Postecoglou if Maddison was a bargain buy… His response: “A bargain at £45m? I don't know what world you live in, mate!" 😂😅pic.twitter.com/ykjrhpQWTA
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) August 26, 2023
One reporter asked: "Do you think James Maddison at £40-£45m could be the bargain of the summer?"
But Postecoglou quickly chuckled off the question as he replied: "A £45million bargain? I don't know what world you live in, mate."
It comes after Postecoglou had quipped he is just copying Pep Guardiola when he joined the TNT studio after the win over Bournemouth.
Joe Cole had complimented the playing style of Spurs under Postecoglou and referenced the inverted full-back system the manger also used during his time at Celtic.
In response, Postecoglou quipped: "There's no secret, I'm just copying Pep, mate."
He continued: "We do a lot of work on it. A lot of it, it is on instincts but we're trying to create a system, wherever I've been, that is as fluid as it can be.
"If there's space there, forget that you're a full-back, you're a footballer, get in that space. It's up to us to make sure that we're covering the gaps that are left.
"I think once players realise that they have the freedom to be able to do that, it's still very structured, then they don't second guess themselves. They know that it doesn't matter if they're a left full-back, if there's space there then they get into it.
"Both Pedro and Destiny, when they have the ball and they're running with it, they're really difficult to stop. It's an essential area and it makes it more effective."
