Tottenham transfers report card: How the new signings measure up

Months of inaction made it a rather nervy summer for supporters, but Spurs, with a flurry of activity, signed five new players in the final week of the transfer window. rnrnIn a typically frustrating Daniel Levy way, Tottenham waited until the last week to bring any new players aboard. But Levy, in a whirlwind eight-day span, made amends for making Spurs wait through an extended period replete with hyperbole and speculative rumours. Then again, most Spurs fans are used the waiting game by now.rnrnThe river, however, burst its bank on August 23 with the Davinson Sanchez signing, Spurs' first of the window. In the following days, Paulo Gazzaniga, Juan Foyth, Serge Aurier and Fernando Llorente also booked their one-way tickets for the capital. While Mauricio Pochettino would rather have seen these players join months ago, the old adage it's better late than never applies.rnrnOf the five signings, two are for the future, one is for the present and two are for both the present and the future. Levy has once again struck a pretty good balance without breaking the bank. He sold Kyle Walker (£50 million) and Kevin Wimmer (£18 million) and replaced them with Sanchez (£42 million) and Aurier (£23 million), making a profit of £3 million on two younger players, both of whom are stacked with potential. Not a bad bit of business.rnrnHere's Tottenham HQ's report card for each new signing.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Davinson Sanchez" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_65189" align="aligncenter" width="590"] MURCIA, SPAIN - JUNE 07: Davinson Sanchez of Colombia looks on during a friendly match between Spain and Colombia at La Nueva Condomina stadium on June 7, 2017 in Murcia, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)[/caption]rn Davinson Sanchez 9/10: rnSpurs hit the bull's-eye with their first signing of the window. Signed for a club-record £42 million, Sanchez is worth every penny of the fee. It's a fair price to pay for a 21-year-old who burst on the scene with a breakout 2016-17 season. Leading Ajax to the Europa Cup Final and narrowly missing out on the Eredivisie title, Sanchez was the Dutch club's player of the season.rnrnThe Colombian is athletically gifted, driven, tenacious and versatile. He prefers to play at center back but can also seamlessly slide to the defensive wing. Sanchez, to enlist in Pochettino's Tottenham revolution, joins former Ajax alumni Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Christian Eriksen.rnrnThe Colombian defender has a multifaceted skill set, is young and is blessed with Usain Bolt-like pace. The gaffer can shape and contour the 21-year-old how he sees fit, ensuring Sanchez has every opportunity to develop into one of the league’s best defenders.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Paulo Gazzaniga" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_64947" align="aligncenter" width="590"] SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - MAY 16: Paulo Gazzaniga of Southampton looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Southampton and Aston Villa at St Mary's Stadium on May 16, 2015 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)[/caption]rn Paulo Gazzaniga 7/10: rnThis signing is all about foresight, an attribute Pochettino has in spades. He knows there's a chance the vultures will be circling to draw Hugo Lloris away from Tottenham, while the sands of time are working against 33-year-old Michel Worm. You won't hear much about Gazzaniga this season. It's a signing that will more likely pay dividends in the long run. And when his time comes, the 25-year-old better make sure he's poised to capitalize on it.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Juan Foyth" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrnhttps://twitter.com/SpursOfficial/status/902908838915039232rnrnhttps://twitter.com/SpursOfficial/status/902920679951142913rn Juan Foyth 8/10: rnPochettino prefers to play three across the back, a system that is particularly effective so long as you have the personnel to pull it off. Juan Foyth, the fresh-faced Argentinian teenager, is a player who will almost certainly commandeer one of those three center back roles in coming seasons. The £8 million transfer fee is a sound investment for the future. And it wouldn't have come to fruition without Pochettino's influence. Foyth said Spurs' gaffer called him repeatedly to make sure the deal went off without any hitches. The compatriots will surely form a steadfast bond, which only means good things for the future of Tottenham's defensive core.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Serge Aurier" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_65192" align="alignnone" width="590"] ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - JUNE 04: Serge Aurier of the Ivory Coast in action during the International Friendly match between the Netherlands and Ivory Coast held at De Kuip or Stadion Feijenoord on June 4, 2017 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)[/caption]rn Serge Aurier 7/10: rnThere is an inherent risk that goes along with signing the Ivory Coast international. Nobody questions his boundless talent. There is no doubt the £24 million price tag would have been much higher had Aurier's rap sheet not been so lengthy and damning. Last summer, Aurier assaulted a police officer outside a nightclub in Paris, making his application for a UK work permit all the more complicated. That incident came months after he was caught on video making homophobic slurs directed at Laurent Blanc, his former manager at PSG. The unpredictable, sometimes volatile defender also lambasted a few of his PSG teammates on the same controversial video.rnrnIf anyone can get him on the straight and narrow, Pochettino surely will. And it's not like Spurs had many options. Tottenham have tried to find a viable replacement for Walker since selling him in July. The Kieran Trippier experiment has thus far failed famously. It might be a bit harsh to judge Trippier this early in the season, but his mental lapse against Burnley cost Spurs a win and two points the club cannot afford to concede.rnrnAurier is needed, so let's hope the rewards will far outweigh the off-field risks. Aurier's transfer grade will invariably increase to nine if he becomes a law-abiding citizen under the gaffers' guidance and mentorship.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Fernando Llorente" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_65193" align="aligncenter" width="590"] SWANSEA, UNITED KINGDOM - MAY 21: Fernando Llorente of Swansea celebrates at the final whistle during the Premier League match between Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion at the Liberty Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)[/caption]rn Fernando Llorente 8/10: rnIf you ask supporters, few would say that Fernando Llorente would be their choice to reinforce Tottenham's attacking options. And bundles of supporters, based on their reactions on social media, are displeased (that's putting it lightly) at Tottenham's final signing of the summer transfer window. After all, Llorente is 32 years old and has only one season of Premier League experience.rnrnLlorente, though, is one of the main reasons Swansea aren't playing in the Championship this season. The towering target man is lethal when he gets a whiff of the penalty box. Llorente scored 15 Premier League goals on 29 percent of his shots last season, the highest conversion rate of any striker.rnrnhttps://twitter.com/SpursOfficial/status/903516529873920000rnrn[nextpost teaser="Pochettino's revolution continues " url="https://hotspurhq.com/2017/09/02/tottenhams-defensive-reinforcements-sustain-mauricio-pochettinos-vision/" /]rnrnIn addition, Llorente is a seasoned veteran who has experience with top European clubs, including stints at Juventus and Sevilla. But more than that, Llorente has great respect for Tottenham and will do his utmost to help the team win. His desire, winning attitude and sunny disposition will spread among the players, creating even more unity in the clubhouse. Oh, and he chose Spurs over Chelsea. That decision alone is worth its weight in gold. Lethal in front of goal, Llorente is a proven scorer who will lessen Harry Kane's goal-scoring burden, if only for the interim.rnrn

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Tottenham transfers report card: How the new signings measure up

Davinson Sanchez 9/10:

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