Opinion: Five targets Spurs should be doing everything to sign this summer

With the summer transfer window swinging into action, Tottenham Hotspur and Ange Postecoglou will surely be looking to completely revamp the squad. But what new players should they look at?

Let’s run through our top-five targets Spurs should bid for this summer.

David Raya

Raya is a player that has been linked to Spurs for months now, and he feels like the perfect fit for the position Lloris is vacating.

The 27-year-old keeper has had a very impressive spell at Brentford and, with his calmness playing out from the back and top-level shot-stopping, he has caught the eye of many top clubs.

He is ranked one of the top keepers in the league for distributing accurate long balls and claiming crosses. His record in the last campaign was impressive,  keeping 12 clean sheets.

Brentford are said to be firm on their valuation of £40m for the goalkeeper (SkySports) but, with only one year left on his contract, it is unlikely they would want to keep him beyond this summer.

Knowing Daniel Levy, this one could get done late in the window to get him at the cheapest price possible.

I think between 25-30 million will do it, despite the interest from other clubs. He would be a top addition and would allow Spurs to change their style of play to a more positive approach that Postecoglu desires.

Likelihood of this deal happening? 8/10.

Aymeric Laporte:

Laporte has been one of the best centre-halves in the Premier League since he joined Manchester City in 2018. He is an elite passer, reads the game very well and has clear leadership qualities. He does slightly lack for pace, but more than makes up for it in his reading of the game.

I feel as though he could really flourish outside of City when he is playing more regularly, instead of constantly being in and out of the starting eleven.

Reports from all news sources, as well as Laporte crying on the pitch after the last game at the Etihad this season, suggest that he will be leaving Man City in search of regular football (DailyMail).

However, this would be a very difficult deal to pull off. City are likely to demand a fee in the region of £40 million for the defender (FootballInsider) and I think that could be even more for a premier league club if they were to show an interest.

I would be extremely surprised if Laporte wanted to join us. He currently earns £120,000 a week (Spotrac), and it would likely take us making him our highest-paid player to turn his head in our direction. The key to making this deal happen would be convincing Laporte.

No European football, a dreadful season last year, unstable club. Are you tempted yet, Aymeric?

Likelihood of this deal happening? 4/10.

Alex Scott:

Now I must confess I have not watched a lot of Scott, but I have watched some highlight reels and I like what I see. He looks extremely comfortable on the ball, with good balance and an eye for a pass. In addition to this, he has good defensive output and is surprisingly strong in the duel.

All of that said, he is only 19 and would need time to adapt to the Premier League. As a potential transfer, it gives me slight ‘Jack Clarke’ vibes but at the same time, I do believe he has a bit more about him.

And of course, they play in different positions. You do also feel as though Jack would’ve got more opportunities to prove himself under a manager like Ange as opposed to Mourinho and Conte.

I think we could pick Scott up for around £15 million, which is a fair price and would represent not too much of a risk – especially when compared to the huge fees we would have to spend on someone like Maddison.

Is all of the hype around Scott (amongst out fanbase) mainly due to the fact that he is a Spurs fan? I would say probably yes, but that allegiance would bring benefits if we signed him: he would have a real point to prove and would bring passion and commitment.

However, I do have further concerns. He is not a big contributor, numbers-wise, in terms of goals and assists, although to be fair he is playing in a fairly poor Bristol City side, which doesn’t help.

Furthermore, you could say that signing Scott may limit opportunities for Alfie Devine for the near future, although a loan out to another club may be the best option for him, regardless of who we sign.

Overall, I don’t think we will want to miss out on Scott with his ability, high ceiling and passion for the club.

Likelihood of this deal happening? If we prioritise him, 9/10.

Eberechi Eze:

My dream signing.

I fell in love watching Eze play in lockdown, before he was unfortunate to pick up a long-term injury.

Under Vieira, he regressed as a player and was not given the game time or freedom he needed, but since Hodgson came back in part-way through last season, Eze has been an absolute joy to watch and he has become one of the best creative players in the league.

In my opinion, he is a better option than Maddison and would go straight into our starting eleven. In fact, he would walk in, he is that good.

The price we would have to pay for him would likely be similar to Maddison, around £50 million, although Crystal Palace would likely hold out for a bigger fee.

They have no need to sell him. I do not blame them for not wanting to sell him and fully expect them to wait until next season to start listening to offers.

He is a huge asset for them and they would be losing their best player if they were to sell. However, he is someone we should go all out for. He is someone that I am so confident will be a star. His ball-striking ability, range of passing, silky dribbling and physical presence is so rare in a player.

If we can poach him now we have a star on our hands. I may well be going overboard on him, but I think if you spoke to any Palace fan they would echo my sentiment. Go all out, make him the signing of the summer. In my dreams.

Likelihood of this deal happening? 3/10.

Moussa Diaby:

Diaby is a talented winger currently plying his trade at Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, where he has registered 18 goals and assists this season playing off the right wing (TransferMarkt).

I feel as though our current squad is lacking in players with the raw pace that can burn past a defender, and Diaby would be perfect for bringing this. He is a player that causes chaos and he has good end product to match.

His contract runs out in 2025, so it would take a decent amount of money to sign him – I would say around £40-45 million would tempt Leverkusen into a sale. It does sound like a lot of money, but that is the minimum you are going to spend on a quality winger in this market.

Again, you could say it is not a priority, but I feel as though he would add a different element to our team that is absolutely worth the money.

When I look at our bench or starting eleven options, I don’t see any player that can really add a spark of energy and pace. We need that, and Diaby is a great option.

He would certainly make us fun to watch next year and would be a fan favourite for sure. He is good with both feet, has elite progressive carries and passing stats (footheball) and is a good finisher.

I would love to see him at Spurs and he would get the fans out of their seats, something Big Ange is known for.

Likelihood of this deal happening? 6/10 – if we are looking at this position, it’s very possible and it seems like a logical next step in Diaby’s career.

Related Topics