Hazard Watch: French 'Sources' Have Lille Star Spurs-Bound

Is Eden Hazard bound for Tottenham Hotspur? A rumour to that effect is making the rounds today, and although I don't believe it in the slightest, it's worth commenting on:

Désireux de rejoindre la Premier League en fin de saison, Eden Hazard a jeté son dévolu sur Tottenham. Selon nos informations, l'international belge de 21 ans s'est mis d'accord avec le club londonien, qui correspond à ses aspirations, puisqu'il participera sans doute à la prochaine Ligue des champions.

Hitting the Google Translate machine gives us:

Wishing to join the Premier League end of season, Eden Hazard has set his sights on Tottenham. Reportedly, the Belgian international has 21 years of age agreed with the London club, which meets their aspirations, since it probably will participate in the next Champions League.

Apparently people believe this, which is amazing. Tottenham, right now, are in fine shape. They're an exciting team, well positioned to finish 3rd in the league, and they could probably do with a talent like Eden Hazard. However, they're also so cash-strapped that they were reduced to 'buying' Louis Saha in the January window while the likes of Papiss Cisse were in play. They've needed a big striker for years and have never managed to shell out for one.

While it might be argued that Spurs could possibly pay Lille the transfer fee Hazard would command thanks to their Champions League revenue for the upcoming season, we're still lacking the motivation for Hazard to actually want to go to Spurs. The fact of the matter is that although footballers talk up certain factors when making transfers, the primary driving force is almost always money - everything else comes second.

Bearing that in mind is always helpful in assessing transfer rumours, and when you look at Tottenham's wage structure they (like Arsenal) still look like a team unable to command a real position in the market for big-name stars. This sounds completely bogus to me.

PS: I guess the headline could also read 'Spurs reportedly tap up Eden Hazard'.