Will Tottenham Complete More Transfer Business Before Deadline Day?

Tottenham have had a very unusual summer – early transfers completed and four new signings making their debut in the opening game of the season. Players of quality have been signed for positions which needed strengthened but will there be more arrivals in the next week before the end of the transfer window?

Tottenham signed quality this summer [Photo: Jav The_DoC_66]

Signed

Paulinho from Corinthians – £17.5m fee – a Tottenham record.

Nacer Chadli from FC Twente for £7m

Roberto Soldado from Valencia – £26m – a new Tottenham record

Etienne Capoue from Toulouse for £9m.

All have impressed in the opening games for Spurs.

Near Miss

Willian – the deal had been agreed for what would have been another record fee, the medical passed and only a work permit required until Chelsea hi-jacked the transfer.

Nearing Completion

Erik Lamela from Roma, the young Argentine striker is expected to sign in the coming days.

Vlad Chiriches, the Romanian central defender is due to sign once he’s played for Steaua Bucharest in their Champions League play-off match on Tuesday evening.

More to Come?

Having completed that number of major signings in this transfer window, it would have been thought that Spurs transfer business would have been completed. But apparently not – they have interest in a number of  players or have made enquiries about other players’ availability.

Hulk

There have been suggestions that Spurs are working on a deal to lure Hulk to White Hart Lane. He was in Andre Villas-Boas’ successful Porto team and according to Jason Burt in the Telegraph, Spurs are working on a deal to bring him to Spurs for £30m from Zenit St Petersburg. The prospect of Roberto Soldado and Hulk together with Lamela would be an awesome forward line for Tottenham. Signing a player like Hulk has not been within Tottenham’s reach in previous years and any link would have been dismissed as pure fantasy and speculation. This summer, however, anything appears to be possible on the transfer front.

Juan Mata

The signing of Willian has put Mata’s place in the Chelsea team in some doubt. Jose Mourinho has said, rather unconvincingly, that Mata is not for sale. It has been reported today that Spurs have made an approach to Chelsea for an un-named player but Chelsea don’t want to do business. I suspect that the player is Mata but Chelsea’s unwillingness to deal with another Premier League side seems strange in light of Mourinho’s recent comments about his club’s attempt to sign Wayne Rooney. Only a few days ago, Mourinho’s comments were quoted in the Guardian,

"That old-fashioned mentality of ‘I don’t sell players to the same country’ doesn’t help the market and doesn’t help the players."

Obviously that view only applies when Chelsea are trying to buy a player from another Premier League club but is quickly forgotten when another club in England is looking to take a player from the Stamford Bridge club.

Miralem Pjanic, the Bosnian midfield player with Roma has also been linked with Spurs over the past number of weeks.

Christian Eriksen, the Danish international with Ajax is another possible signing to fill the creative role that Topttenham have lacked since the departure of Luka Modric. the Danish paper BT is reporting that Spurs are considering making an offer of £12m.

Ante Rebic, the young Croatian striker with RNK Split is suggested as another possible target.

Adem Ljajic, an attacking midfield player with Fiorentina. The 21 year-old Serbian international has also been mentioned as he has only a year left on his contract and is likely to be sold. Liverpool are also reported to be interested according to the Daily Star. The latest reports, however, suggest he could be moving to Roma which would see the Italian club agree to the completion of the deal for Lamela.

Gareth Bale

With all this transfer activity, there are bound to be more departures from the Lane while Gareth Bale’s move to Spain still hasn’t been finalised amid reports of interest from another club who have submitted a bid for Spurs to consider. Tottenham, themselves, while negotiating with Real Madrid, still want to retain Bale’s services at White Hart Lane. It is the view of Tottenham Legend and former manager, Glenn Hoddle, that this is not the right time for Bale to move abroad.

"I have already expressed my doubts as to whether Gareth, undoubtedly a fantastic young player, is ready for such a move as a person."

Daniel Levy who has worked so hard his summer to build a strong Tottenham team doesn’t want to or need to sell Bale and would prefer that he stayed to play alongside the players who have been brought in during this transfer window. It is a very powerful team that Andre Villas-Boas has created and to have Gareth Bale in that team would be the real dream and the icing on the cake for Tottenham this summer.