Tottenham Hotspur opted not to sign Takehiro Tomiyasu this summer as a result of Japhet Tanganga’s strong performances to start the season, according to The Athletic.
Spurs had a busy transfer window, acquiring five players while seeing a number leave the club on loan or a permanent basis.
An area that Spurs looked to address during the summer was the defence, which had grown ageing and stale over the last couple of seasons.
The club’s managing director of football Fabio Paratici recruited Cristian Romero and Pierluigi Gollini earlier on, while right-back Emerson Royal was Spurs’ lone signing on deadline day.
Emerson proved to be a quick deal in the end, despite the club looking at Bologna and Japan defender Tomiyasu for the majority of the summer.
Tomiyasu would end up signing with Spurs’ bitter rivals Arsenal on deadline day, and now the club will hope they haven’t missed a trick.
The report from The Athletic claims Spurs academy graduate Tanganga was partly the reason why the club didn’t progress to strike a deal with the Serie A side, due to his strong performances so far this season.
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The club reportedly felt they needed a different option on that part of the pitch, which is why Brazilian full-back Emerson eventually came into view.
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Spurs clearly saw something in Emerson for them to completely abandon their pursuit for Tomiyasu, who they had been tracking all summer. The club now see the Brazilian as a better profile for Nuno Espirito Santo’s preferred style of play, and now there is hope that he can live up to the reported hype.
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