Picking the main problem area for Tottenham right now is tricky, but if we focus on the midfield, then Tim Sherwood has a comprehensive diagnosis of what’s gone wrong.
When you look through the Spurs squad right now, it’s hard not to be worried about pretty much every area.
Guglielmo Vicario is erratic and error-prone; the defence is leaking sloppy, frustrating goals; there is not enough creativity or goals in the team; and the midfield is lacking any real balance.
Thomas Frank and the hierarchy are seemingly working to improve that last element, but they’re still not resolving one thing that’s been ongoing since 2019.
Tottenham have never properly replaced Mousa Dembele
Speaking to OLGB, former Spurs boss Sherwood cited Mousa Dembele as a player whose influence and impact at the club has still never been replicated.
He said: “I don’t think they’ve ever replaced Mousa Dembele, who was a player I had in the midfield. They have never replaced him.
“When I see Tottenham, sometimes I see them quite dangerous at times, but I never feel comfortable when I’m sitting there watching them thinking, they’re in full control of this football match. Never get that feeling.”
Dembele left in 2019, and the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso, Yves Bissouma, and Rodrigo Bentancur have come and gone without even coming close to filling that void.
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Conor Gallaher is not the answer to Spurs issues
Obviously, the signing of Conor Gallagher is the kind of move that could and should go a long way towards resolving that. But, is the former Chelsea man really enough for Spurs?
Sherwood said: “You’d like a Conor Gallagher because he’s someone who’s played in the Premier League before, but if they’re only going to make one signing in this January window, it wouldn’t be Conor Gallagher if it was for me. He’s very similar to what they have.”
So, what kind of player do Spurs actually need? Sherwood thinks Arsenal already beat them to that particular target back in 2023.
He added: “Someone like Declan Rice from West Ham would have been a perfect signing. For £100m, Spurs should have been in the market for someone like him who not only improves you on the pitch, but improves your dressing room. He’s a captain without the armband.”