Tottenham Hotspur has finally gotten moving in the transfer market with players going out and in, so what has been done and what is next for Spurs in the window?
It took Fabio Paratici a few weeks to get going but his famed work ethic is easily identifiable for Tottenham Hotspur fans as the team announced a signing on a Saturday. Paratici is not taking the weekends off and neither is Spurs social media now. With the first bits of business completed, it is time to look at what lay ahead for the Lilywhites in the last month of the window.
Done deals for Tottenham
Thus far, there have officially only been three completed deals involving Tottenham Hotspur in this window. First, Juan Foyth went to Villareal after a clause in his loan agreement was triggered. Now Tottenham has officially brought in two new players, with the loan of Pierluigi Gollini over the weekend and then the announcement of Bryan Gil on Monday.
Gollini should at minimum be the back-up to club captain Hugo Lloris in goal and at best give Lloris some real competition. Gollini’s loan can be converted to a permanent deal and may have to if certain parameters are met. Bryan was signed on a permanent basis with a five-year contract to boot. Long-time Spur Erik Lamela went the other way to Sevilla in exchange for Bryan, along with some cash.
While those are the only three official deals, it seems likely Toby Alderweireld‘s time at the club is about up. Outside of that action, which seems to have come in a bit of a flurry, nothing else is official. So with one month to go and three/four deals in the books, here are three key actions for Tottenham still to take this window?
Tottenham has more decisions to make
The Spurs are finally started but the heavy lifting in the market is still in front of Paratici and the club. There are major decisions that need to be made on both incoming and outgoing transfers and of course, there is Harry Kane.
Tottenham needs to answer the Harry Kane question
Head Coach Nuno Espirito Santo made it very clear in his first preseason press conference that Harry Kane is a Tottenham player and as such, he is expected to be part of the team. For all intents and purposes that same line, Kane is a Lilywhite, has been echoed by anyone associated with the club.
However, the Daily Mail’s claim about seldom seen owner Joe Lewis being upset with Kane makes the situation all the more unclear. Tottenham is splashing some cash and looks to be spending more in the coming days but to date, it is not like they have signed seven players, ala the year Spurs sold Gareth Bale.
Reports also suggest Kane will not be ready for the first match of the season, which ironically – or not – falls against Manchester City, with the Cityzens the most likely destination for Kane if he leaves.
The one thing that is known for certain is that the longer the uncertainty drags on the more it will hurt the club. Ideally, Kane stays with a revamped team around him but if his heart is set and Spurs can get close to their set asking price, then they may have no choice. The biggest question of the summer remains and seems no closer to conclusion Euros over or not.
Tottenham needs to sell more players
Two players have definitely left N17 and one more seems likely, however, there is still a lot of outgoing transfer movement that is needed at the club. Reports at different points in the summer have suggested that upwards of 10 players could be available for sale.
Besides Lamela, Foyth, and Alderweireld, longtime Spurs like Harry Winks and Eric Dier could be sold, as could Serge Aurier and Davinson Sanchez. Additionally, there have been rumors about potential exists for Steven Bergwijn, Matt Doherty, and Lucas Moura.
It is possible none of those players leaves and others players do, much depends on who can actually be sold. Regardless of who is sold, at some point this summer, Tottenham needs to move another three or four players, to create space and add cash.
Tottenham need to continue to freshen key positions
A goalkeeper and a winger to back up two aging starters are nice with Gollini and Gil likely backing up Lloris and Heung-Min Son. However, there are clearly areas Tottenham needs to address in the transfer market. Defense, in particular, is an area where Spurs have been connected to a lot of players but as of yet have not finalized anything.
A backup striker or a replacement for Kane is still something that needs to be addressed as does another creative player for the attack. Yes, Bryan is creative but he is a winger and Spurs need another player to pull some strings from the middle of the park.
It is possible that some deals may be dependent or contingent on who is sold. If Tottenham cannot move either one of Serge Aurier or Matt Doherty, it will likely be tough to bring in a third first-team right back. However, if Spurs can send Serge to Holland then maybe another right-back is in the cards.
The bottom line at Tottenham is that incoming and outgoing transfers are connected and Tottenham needs to do some more both in the next month. The good news for Spurs fans is that if the last few days are any indication, there is some good news to come.