Going into the January transfer window, Tottenham are in a precarious position. With multiple injuries to key players, inconsistent performances and much unrest amongst the fan base, it is safe to say that this is a key January transfer window for Levy and ENIC.
Tottenham are currently sitting in 11th place in the Premier League, just outside the automatic qualification in 9th within the Europa League, and in a Carabao Cup semi-final. Spurs clearly need reinforcements this month to push themselves forward in the second half of the season.
Here are our suggestions for who Tottenham should look at bringing to N17 in the January transfer window.
Tottenham goalkeeper January transfer targets
With key players such as Romero, Van de Ven, Davies, Odobert, Moore and Richarlison all out, Spurs have suffered many injuries all season. However, Vicario’s long-term ankle injury has been one of the biggest losses for Tottenham and could lead to a piece of January transfer business.
Fraser Forster had been looking steady in net, proving numerous doubters wrong, yet, the two shocking mistakes during our quarter-final game against Manchester United, and the 21 goals conceded in 7 matches may make the Tottenham hierarchy look for another option between the sticks. Forster has struggled playing out from the back so I am proposing Spurs look at signing a goalkeeper who is comfortable with the ball at his feet.
My first recommendation would be French goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier. The 23-year-old has been having an excellent season for LOSC Lille in Ligue 1 with a save percentage of 75.8% as well as only allowing 1.08 goals per 90 minutes (fbref).
Regularly playing out from the back, the Frenchman would not only be a great understudy to Vicario but would also push him for the starting role. The only issue for Spurs may be enticing him away from Lille as they sit 4th in Ligue 1 and are currently playing Champions League football.
For this reason, Spurs could also look at Cruz Azul’s Kevin Mier or Freiburg’s Noah Atubolu. Both goalkeepers are accustomed to being on the ball for their respective clubs and would come in as great backups to Tottenham’s number one.
Centre-back situation at Tottenham ahead of January transfer window
Tottenham have been severely unlucky with their two starting centre-backs, Romero and Van de Ven both having significant injuries this season. Davies also picking up a hamstring injury has led to 18-year-old midfielder Archie Gray being shoehorned into a position he is not used to. Although impressive, the summer signing being forced into this role shows the lack of depth within the defence.
With Luka Vušković on his way to the club in the summer and Ashley Phillips currently on loan at Stoke City, you could say Spurs have several centre-backs at the club, but it still feels we need at least one more to cover us for the rest of the season if we want to compete for the remainder of the campaign.
Spurs have already been linked with Milan Škriniar, with the out-of-favour PSG defender seemingly being pushed away from the club. However, I would look at another French league defender, Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens. The 20-year-old Uzbekistani has been excellent this season, boasting some of the best defensive stats across Europe (fbref).
Unfortunately, Tottenham may need to realise the real possibility of losing Romero this summer with Real Madrid’s rumoured interest (Fichajes). Khusanov could be an excellent replacement for the Argentine if he were to leave and getting him in this January could be key in securing the defender before other clubs come calling in the summer.
Spurs could also look at Bournemouth Defender Ilya Zabarnyi. The 22-year-old, Ukrainian international could be a perfect partner to Micky Van de Ven in Ange Postecoglou’s system. Zabarnyi clocked in a top speed of 36.60 KM/H (Squawka) not dissimilar to the Dutchman’s pace of 37.38 KM/H. With the Ukrainian’s speed, it’s clear to see that he could help Van de Ven with the recovering runs that are key to Tottenham’s high defensive line.
This would be a massive statement from the board if they were to spend big on the defender and bring him from the south coast to N17 however, the big fee required and Bournemouth currently sitting in a great position within the league means this move would probably have to wait for the summer.
Do Tottenham need a new left-back in January transfer window?
Tottenham have been stuck at the left-back position, starting Destiny Udogie in 94% of games this season (transfermarkt). The Italian naturally playing so much football has led to him coming off against Southampton and now needing an extended period of rest due to the strain on his body. Now starting right back Djed Spence in his position, it’s clear we need a natural left wing back to come into rotation with Udogie with the amount of football Spurs are playing.
My two suggestions would be Bradley Locko of Stade Brestois 29 or Patrick Dorgu of Lecce. Firstly, the 22-year-old Frenchman has many similarities to Udogie’s game with great passing numbers and a tendency to move forward and support attacks (fbref).
Locko seems like a seamless replacement for Udogie when he needs time to recover. Dorgu, being linked with Tottenham in the past (Fabrizio Romano) would be more of a defensive option for Spurs (fbref). The 19-year-old would maybe need more time to acclimatise to the Premier League, however, it is clear to see the potential the Dane has.
Defensive midfield is an area to look at for Spurs
Midfield may not be a pressing need, with Tottenham having a number of players within this position. Nevertheless, it is fair to say that none of them have really made the position theirs, with inconsistent performances from Bissouma and Bentancur being banned, Spurs have had to make do with young Lucas Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr in games.
Tottenham may want to get ahead and make a signing to replace the Malian, and I feel the perfect option would be to look at Carlos Baleba from Brighton. What seems to be a never-ending conveyor belt of world-class midfielders, Brighton once again have a gem within their ranks, who has seemingly come into his own within this Premier League season. Tottenham would have to pay an extremely large fee to pry him away from Brighton, but if Tottenham want to challenge the top teams this is the type of move you need to make.
A more affordable option would be Johnny Cardoso of Real Betis. Tottenham already have a purchase option for the American, a savvy deal that was done during the negotiations which saw Giovani Lo Celso return to his old club (Fabrizio Romano). Although Cardoso isn’t the ball-playing midfielder we are used to at Spurs within the Ange system, he is an excellent ball-winner and defender (fbref) which is maybe the perfect option to help break up play and stop the defence from being overrun.
Finally, an out-there shout for Tottenham could be the new summer signing of Juventus, Douglas Luiz. Although he has only just moved to ‘The Old Lady’, it is clear that Thiago Motta isn’t too keen on the Brazillian, with him favouring Locatelli. Luiz only starting in 8% of the Seri A giants games this season (transfermarkt) creates an opportunity for Spurs to bring the unhappy star back to the premier league. We saw his quality last season at Aston Villa, and Spurs could look to negotiate a cut price with Juventus and allow him to recapture his previous form at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
Spurs have a good relationship with Juventus, previously signing Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur from the club in January so going after the 26-year-old may be a realistic possibility for Tottenham.
Potential new wingers for Tottenham
Finally, Tottenham are crying out for an established, experienced winger to come into the club. With inconsistent performances from Brennan Johnson and Hung Min Son, not even to mention Timo Werner, Tottenham are looking very weak in the wide areas. Wilson Odobert being out with a long-term injury hasn’t helped the situation, and in games, when you look to the bench for an attacking spark it always seems to be lacking.
Spurs can look forward to returning young starlet Mikey Moore who has seemly recovered from a virus that has kept him sidelined for a couple of months, as well as new arrival Yang Min-hyeok whose move will be official on the 1st of January (Tottenham Hotspur). However, it is a mistake for Tottenham to pin their hopes on these two youngsters.
Tottenham need some experience in this squad which is why I would suggest Turkish winger, Barış Alper Yılmaz. Yilmaz has been key for Galatasaray this season, contributing 8 goals and 1 assist in 16 Süper Lig games (transfermarkt). Playing with a lot of explosiveness, he would add an element of power to the front line that is evidently lacking within the Tottenham frontline.
I’m sure fans would like Tottenham to target wingers such as Bryan Mbeumo of Brentford or Antoine Semenyo of Bournemouth, however, both of these names would come with hefty price tags and may not push the needle for Tottenham to climb this season.
This is why if I were to spend big this winter transfer window I would look at Johan Bakayoko from PSV Eindhoven. Bakayoko has been integral to pushing PSV to the top of the Eredivisie. With his pace and 1 on 1 attacking style, it is clear to see why he is wanted by so many top clubs. He ranks highly in many attacking metrics amongst wingers including non-penalty goals (0.57 per 90 putting him within the 99th percentile) as well as successful take-ons (2.71 per 90 putting him within the 91st percentile)(fbref).
Tottenham are screaming for a winger who can take on the full-back they are up against, something we used to see from Son, but with the Korean ageing and other wingers not providing consistent performances the Belgian winger could be a fantastic addition to the Tottenham front line.
Clearly, Tottenham need to spend a lot this winter transfer window, injuries have plagued the squad leaving us threadbare and inconsistent performances calls for experience to come in and bolster the squad. Will Levy back Ange or will we be left wanting more when the transfer window slams shut?