Opinion: A hectic summer at Spurs but do we need deadline day signings?
It’s safe to say it’s been a busy window at Hotspur Way with many old faces bidding farewell and some fresh competition greeting our beloved players on the training pitch.
Although at face value you can say Levy and Lange are getting the players out that Postecoglou doesn’t want in his squad, and bringing in some key targets would be a great window, I feel it is time to dive deeper into this and see if this massive overhaul has been successful.
Outgoings at Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham have been busy with outgoings this summer, offloading nine senior players permanently and four on loan. Including some of the youth squad getting important minutes out on loan such as Jamie Donley at Leyton Orient and Ashley Phillips getting another season in the Championship, this time with the Potters.
A couple of critiques you may have with some of the permanent sales is that many of them are free transfers, however, sometimes getting the player’s wages off the books is as good as the transfer fee in itself.
The other is that some key players from past seasons have moved on, most notably Pierre-Emile Hojberg and Oliver Skipp. The Dane going to French side Marseille and the academy graduate going to fellow Premier League side Leicester means two key squad players are out the door. Along with some other depth being released or sold, some might say the Spurs squad is looking a bit thin.
Even with this in mind, I will still give Johan Lange and Levy a 9/10 on sales. Spurs have notoriously been poor with outgoing transfers, struggling to get unwanted players out of the club. This summer has been a refreshing change in that regard, and I’m sure Ange Postecoglou will be pleased to see some of these players out of his squad.
Do Tottenham need more signings?
The main talking point of our Summer has to be the marquee signing of English number nine, Dominic Solanke. With the fee that could rise to a total of £65 million (Skysports) Tottenham really have spent big on what could be seen as Harry Kane’s long-awaited replacement. The Bournemouth talisman netting 21 goals in all competitions last season (transfermarkt.com) shows why Spurs have spent record money on the 26-year-old.
Spurs also captured Leeds United wonderkid Archie Gray for a fee of £40 million (Fabrizio Romano). The future England national team hopeful was a great coup for Tottenham and although at a big price, most associated with the lilly-whites will be thrilled with this new face.
Spurs also acquired fellow 18-year-olds Lucas Bergvall (agreed signing from January 2024), Min-hyuk Yang (joining the squad in January 2025) (Fabrizio Romano) and 19-year-old French winger Wilson Odobert signed from relegated Burnley.
Finally, Timo Werner returning to Spurs on another season-long loan rounds out our business so far. Looking at all these signings it’s clear Spurs are looking to build a squad for the future however Ange has said these players are here to make an impact now despite their young age (Chris Cowlin).
Spurs are fighting on the European front this year after a season away from international competition. Along with the usual domestic fixtures, Spurs will be facing a lot more games this season. With this in mind the question stands, have Tottenham done enough in this window to challenge on all fronts?
From my point of view, I believe all signings look to be incredible investments and we can see from the first two games of the premier league season how each new player will impact the first team, however, we still look very light in some positions and I fear we are going to be looking at this season the same as the last, with injuries being a real threat at derailing our campaign.
Looking light at centre back and left back does worry me and if Van de Ven or Udogie get injuries keeping them out for a prolonged period do Tottenham have adequate replacements to fill in whilst they are sidelined?
My other issue is the attacking depth. Maybe we have the numbers but for me, the quality is lacking. With Brennan Johnson’s inconsistencies and Timo Werner’s finishing woes, it feels like Spurs could have brought in one more wide attacker to create even more competition. With all of this in mind, I have to give Levy and Lange a 6/10 in terms of incoming transfers.
The positive for Ange is that he has a couple of days left of the transfer window to bring in some new faces if he feels it’s required. If it was me, I would be looking at a left-sided defender who is versatile and comfortable playing both left centre-back and left-back and possibly one more right wide option in the attack.
The two suggestions I have for defence are Mika Mármol of UD Las Palmas or Jayden Oosterwolde of Turkish side Fenerbahçe. The two 23-year-olds both have a wealth of experience at left-back and centre-back, playing within the top division of their respective countries. I feel either the Spanish or Dutch defender would be great cover for our current squad.
At wide right Spurs could look at youngsters Ernest Nuamah of Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyon, who is rumoured to leave before the window shuts (Fabrizio Romano) or Gianluca Prestianni, the Argentine wonder-kid currently at Portuguese giants Benfica.
However, I would set my sights on 26-year-old Edon Zhegrova. The Kosovo international has been a staple in the LOSC Lille attack for several years now and I feel maybe an experienced head entering the prime of his career could be a better fit around the Tottenham squad. It’s clear to see that Zhegrova has an eye for goals scoring 3 in his first 4 games this season during Lille’s Champions League qualifying campaign (transfermarkt).
With only 24 hours left of the window, we can’t be sure if there will be much more activity at N17, nevertheless, this would be my plan going into the final moments of this summer transfer period.
Let me know what you think Spurs should do in the comments!
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