Tottenham Eye Offensive and Defensive Depth

Yet another overhaul appears in the works as Tottenham target talented youngsters to hopefully perform better than last summer’s talented youngsters.

Much has — fairly — been made of the fact that Tottenham’s transfer business in the summer of 2016 was less than ideal.

Though Mauricio Pochettino correctly identified several areas of the squad that needed fortifying, the players the club targeted have fallen far below expectation.

Only Victor Wanyama can make any claim to have lived up to the price paid for him upon agreeing a move from Southampton. Vincent Janssen, Moussa Sissoko and Georges-Kévin Nkoudou can’t come close, with each struggling to make any sort of impact on the season.

Whether Tottenham move on from those players or not this summer remains to be seen. What might be coming into focus now though is the club’s plans to correct or build upon last summer’s efforts.

With former Head of Recruitment Paul Mitchell allowed to leave last month, Pochettino will be relying on a new scouting team to hopefully outperform the former MK Dons man. Should rumors be believed, they have already identified two targets — both of which stand to add something to the team.

More from Tottenham Transfer Rumours

First, an oldie but a goodie. Metro cites the Sun as they convey a rumor that Tottenham are confident that they have beaten their rivals in securing hot prospect Moussa Dembélé.

Long time Spurs rumor readers will know not to be confused here. This Dembélé — in contrast to the club’s current midfield general Mousa — is French and plays at striker.

The 20-year-old spent a good chunk of last season being linked with Spurs in some capacity when he was still with Championship side Fulham. There even appeared to be a deal in place for a January move, one that was ultimately nixed by the west London club’s insistence on a return loan move for the remainder of the season.

His contract up and Spurs evidently cooled, Dembélé ended up making the move to Celtic in Scotland. He quickly established himself with Brendan Rodgers’ side and currently leads the league with 17 goals.

Unsurprisingly, several big clubs around Europe will vie for his signature this summer. If Tottenham have indeed taken the lead, it will feel something like a coup — even if it does through Janssen’s future with the club into question.

A second — perhaps more reasonable — rumor comes to us from the Guardian’s Rumour Mill. Ignore, for the moment, the Manchester United links with Eric Dier. That will be covered later.

Rather, the important bit here is that Spurs are among the list of clubs keeping tabs on Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson.

Boro’s struggles this season — they currently sit 19th with 22 points — have little to do with the defense and Gibson’s place in it. To date they have only conceded 33 goals — better defensive records than both Liverpool and Arsenal as well as the next 11 teams ahead of them in the table.

The 24-year-old is rightfully seen as crucial to that defensive effort. Gareth Southgate recently recognized his efforts with an England call-up, and he seems set to be rewarded this summer with a move to a bigger club.

Should Tottenham be so lucky as to get Gibson’s signature, they will add a healthy dose or Englishness, youth and talent to a squad that is already replete with each. Perhaps he doesn’t earn a place over Toby Alderweireld or Jan Vertonghen, but he could certainly be considered for the third centre-back spot — even perhaps over Eric Dier and Kevin Wimmer.

Next: Tottenham Will Do Without Erik Lamela for the Remainder of the Season

These two moves suggest a subtle pivot in how Tottenham scout. Both players have plenty of experience in English football — albeit mostly in the Championship. Neither appear to be one-season-wonders like Janssen or Nkoudou.

Perhaps most important, both players are also subject to very public interest from many of Spurs’ rivals. Daniel Levy shies away from bidding wars for the most part, so any suggestion that the club is ready to compete with the likes of Chelsea or Manchester United should be encouraging. Tottenham, it would seem, are ready to tussle with the big boys.