The list of decent players Tottenham Hotspur could have signed in the winter transfer window is only getting more frustrating to look at as Spurs continue to drop points in the Premier League relegation fight, having just been trounced 3-1 by local rivals Crystal Palace.
Spurs had a litany of needs on the last transfer market, yet their only signing, Conor Gallagher, has been overpaid on multiple accounts and atrocious while being simultaneously a redundancy when Johan Lange blabbered about Spurs standing pat in the window to avoid panic buys. Well, Gallagher was the definition of a panic buy after the Rodrigo Bentancur injury, and, maybe, Spurs should have been panicking becuase now they do have a reason to worry greatly about their future.
Coming up, Tottenham will battle against Ademola Lookman - a star player who is shining for Atletico Madrid when Spurs had two opportunities to sign in the last summer and winter transfer windows. But he is not the only high profile forward at a Champions League club that Spurs could have signed.
Maghnes Akliouche owned PSG
Maybe Maghnes Akliouche is a bit overrated by the transfer rumor mill, but he is still light years ahead of Brennan Johnson and would have been an ideal replacement for him this winter. And certainly, he is better than Spurs having nothing on the wings, because after Wilson Odobert's ACL tear, Tottenham literally have one healthy winger in Mathys Tel.
Mostly a right sided player, Akliouche is one of the top young wingers in French football, and his stock is only rising since the winter transfer window that Tottenham failed to follow up their links on. Akliouche has been particularly dazzling against PSG, assisting and scoring with six total key passes in the two legs against PSG in the Champions League.
Monaco performed admirably in defeat in the knockouts against their great Ligue 1 rivals, but they were even better this past weekend in Ligue 1, avenging their Champions League exit with a commanding 3-1 display over the reigning Champions League winners.
Akliouche was the best player on the pitch, continuing what is now a string of positive performances. This time, he both scored and assisted against the Parisian giants, grabbing two key passes, three combined tackles and interceptions, and two combined fouls drawn and dribbles completed in an excellent all around performance.
Lange now has to be kicking himself watching Akliouche step up three times in big games against one of the best teams in Europe, showing the personality and intensity of a player who surely would have helped Spurs avoid relegation. And that fee would have then been paid. Akliouche absolutely would have been better than signing nobody, and as he continues to raise his game against big opponents, Spurs have to wonder why they let Lange do nothing all winter long.