Tottenham Hotspur were able to survive relegation from the Premier League, and a huge part of that was because of new manager Roberto De Zerbi's ability to get the most out of his veteran midfield and their more positive play in the middle of the park without Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor.
Conor Gallagher, Joao Palhinha, and Rodrigo Bentancur all fulfilled their duties to a "T", but they still are not the personnel Spurs need in order to push for Champions League places. They were good enough for De Zerbi to avoid relegation, but more help is needed, even including the fact that young Archie Gray should have a bigger role with all the talent he has.
Tottenham need quality controls and passers of the football, and according to a report from Lyall Thomas and Michael Bridges of Sky Sports News, that is exactly the type of profile Tottenham intend on signing this summer 2026 transfer window. The Sky Sports duo report that in addition to talks for Manchester City star winger Savinho and Brighton center back Jan Paul van Hecke, Spurs want to sign a center midfielder who can playmake and spray passes from deep.
Spurs are prioritizing midfield, too
In the modern game, No. 6's who can preside over the game, pass accurately, and create chances are at a premium, but that should not be surprising because the best teams of past eras often had these sorts of players. Andrea Pirlo, Paul Scholes, and others were pillars of dynasties in the 2000s and 2010s, and then Toni Kroos at Real Madrid turned around and made the role even more paramount with his three peat. And today, that importance can be seen in current titans of Europe PSG.
Archie Gray could potentially be that kind of player for Tottenham Hotspur, but he isn't ready yet. Someone like Adam Wharton may be on the younger side as well, but the Crystal Palace star is even better at creating chances with more technical quality than Gray.
Hayden Hackney is another young deep lying playmaking midfielder whom Spurs could sign to pair with Gray or compete with their own England youth international. Whatever the case, Roberto De Zerbi and Tottenham rightfully want to get better on the ball and better at creating chances from true midfield positions, feeding an attack that will need better service and more concrete control behind them in the 2026/27 Premier League season.
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