Danny Murphy has admitted that he has been left scratching his head about Tottenham’s decision to extend Timo Werner’s loan spell at the club.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Werner’s loan spell had been extended by another season, with Tottenham set to cover the German’s salary during the 2024-25 season and having the option to buy him permanently for £8.5m next summer (BBC Sport).
It has been reported by Football.London’s Alasdair Gold that the signing is viewed as a shrewd acquisition internally at Spurs since the club have managed to bulk up their forward line without eating into their summer transfer budget.
The journalist also revealed that the 28-year-old was keen to return to Hotspur Way and that Ange Postecoglou had enjoyed working with him over the last few months.
However, the move has not gone down well among some Tottenham fans on social media, who believe that the club have simply settled for a cheaper option rather than pushing the envelope and signing a world-class attacker.
Tottenham Hotspur re-sign Timo Werner on loan
Murphy is not overly impressed with the signing either, suggesting that the former Chelsea man did not do enough in the second half of last season to warrant an extension to his loan.
The former Spurs midfielder told talkSPORT: “Well, Simon and I actually were both a little bit perplexed and shocked by this one. He hasn’t set the world alight; far from it.
“My only thinking is that they must be thinking of bringing a big one in up top, and having him as more of a backup because they’ve got Brennan Johnson on the right who’s got to develop, he’s got to produce a bit more.
“He’s got potential, he’s got talent, but they’ve been mixing him up on the right with Kulusevski. I think Son’s best on the left personally, and that would mean Werner on the bench.
“But if he’s thinking of keeping the same frontline and having Son and Richarlison as your strikers and Werner on the left, I don’t think Tottenham fans are going to be too excited by that.”
Spurs Web Opinion
I suspect that a lot of the discontent around this signing is due to the assumption that this would be the last of the attacking additions Spurs make this window, which seems patently false to me. I expect Tottenham to be in the market for two more top-class forwards this summer.