Fabrizio Romano has said that Tottenham Hotspur will now play the waiting game and look to pounce later in the transfer window when various central midfielders start switching clubs.
Much to the pleasant surprise of a lot of Spurs fans, the Lilywhites have acted with urgency in the January window, strengthening two priority positions by concluding deals for Timo Werner and Radu Dragusin.
It has been widely reported that a central midfielder is next on the agenda for Spurs, with Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher thought to remain the club’s top target (Independent).
However, some outlets over the past couple of days have suggested Ange Postecoglou’s men are unlikely to land the England international during the current transfer window as the 23-year-old is keen to remain at Stamford Bridge and fight for his place (The Sun).
Tottenham will play the waiting game for a new midfielder
Romano has now said that Spurs could look at alternatives to Gallagher but the journalist suggested that the club are not in a hurry to do so.
He explained that the Tottenham hierarchy expect opportunities to open up towards the end of the window when the merry-go-round of midfielders begins.
Romano told GiveMeSport: “I think they can look at alternatives to Gallagher, but I’m unsure if it will be one of them [Gomes or Phillips]. Maybe a young player in that position could be a solution for Tottenham. But they’re not desperate for that, so I think it’s not imminent.
“They will take some time; they needed a defender and a striker, and now they will wait a bit for the market for the domino effect on midfielders around Europe to see if there will be some opportunity, probably with a good formula and not spending a crazy amount of money on the midfielder. I think this could be the strategy at Tottenham rather than going big on a super important midfielder like Gallagher.”
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The advantage of completing the acquisitions of Dragusin and Werner early is that Tottenham can now afford to be patient and wait for the right market opportunities.
I have no doubt that Spurs will test the waters with an offer or two for Gallagher but we also know that the club will swiftly move on to alternatives if the deal proves difficult to pull off.