Johan Lange has explained why Tottenham Hotspur had to delay some of their transfer business until very late in the transfer window, and has hinted that the club may have benefited from being snubbed by Eberechi Eze.
Tottenham’s search for a number ten was protracted, and the Lilywhites missed out on a couple of their top targets in Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White.
However, in the final days of the transfer window, Spurs struck a deal with RB Leipzig for Xavi Simons, who initially appeared to be on his way to Chelsea.
The signing of the Netherlands international is seen as a real coup for the Lilywhites, with Thomas Frank playing a key role in convincing Simons on a move to Spurs.
Johan Lange explains why Tottenham left their business until late
While most Spurs fans are happy with the signings that the club have made this summer, many are frustrated that the club were not able to deliver these signings earlier in the summer.
However, Lange has now explained that some of the players that Tottenham ended up signing only became available at the latter stages of the window.
The Spurs technical director told the club’s official channel: “I think when you go through a transfer period over a few months, for lots of clubs and also for ours, there were bumps along the way.
“There’s no doubt about that. But it’s not so much if there are bumps along the way because inevitably that will happen. It’s how you react to those challenges you are facing.
“In some aspects here, players that we would have liked to sign earlier in the window were not available, and they were available later in the window. I think when we look back at the end of the window, the outcome has been fantastic for us.”
Lange hints that Spurs are happier with Xavi Simons than Eberechi Eze
While the Dane refused to discuss specifics on who the club missed out on, he admitted that they did have ‘bumps’ along the way.
However, the Spurs technical director insisted that the Lilywhites are over the moon to end up with Simons, revealing that the Dutchman was extremely keen on being part of the project at N17.
Johan Lange added, “As said, if you have a bump along the way, sometimes things can turn out for the better. When we had the conversation with Xavi, I saw his desire and determination to join our football club. It was fantastic for us, because what he has shown so far in his career, from a very, very young age, played together with some of the best players in the world when you really dig into his story.
“The impact he had at Eindhoven, the impact he had at Leipzig in the Bundesliga, and he’s still so young, so when you perform at this level and that age. So to bring him to our football club, to bring him into the Premier League, to bring him into a club which has a rich history of producing and seeing players with creativity and flair. I’m confident that he will be a great addition to the team and hopefully create a lot of fantastic moments for the fans and for all of us.”