Tottenham Hotspur have one main order of business before the transfer window closes at midnight on the night of Aug. 31, and that is to sign at least one more playmaker to bolster the squad after James Maddison's ACL tear and the infamous Eberechi Eze transfer snub in favor of rivals Arsenal.
Spurs are also working on Manchester City winger Savinho, though it's unclear if the way Spurs manhandled Man City at the Etihad on Saturday will work in their favor to convince the Brazilian to switch sides to them or if it will lead the Citizens to rethink doing business with a possible Premier League title rival.
That's the level Spurs can aspire to reach if they are able to sign the right players before the summer transfer window ends, though they are finding that the pickings are slim when it comes to playmakers who can truly elevate the squad.
One possible gamble on a cheaper deal that has been kicked around is AS Roma playmaker Lorenzo Pellegrini, who was once one of the most touted and well-rounded playmakers in Europe. And he was actually quite good until the bottom fell out last season, and his form didn't recover as Roma's did under Claudio Ranieri.
Tottenham might actually benefit more from losing this transfer
Now, Roma are open about moving on from their former captain and club legend. Via Fabrizio Romano, Roma director Frederic Massara confirmed that Pellegrini will be on his way out and ideally this summer so that the Italian international does not leave the club for free:
“Lorenzo Pellegrini will leave, now or in January for sure. We won’t extend his contract and we are looking for a solution not to lose him as free agent”.
Pellegrini had a run of five straight seasons with at least nine goal contributions in Serie A, and at 29 years old, the Roma attacking midfielder should still be in the prime of his career. But he's run a lot for a long time in Italy, and all of that running takes its toll, which may have been what happened last season.
With Gian Piero Gasperini on board, Pellegrini is expendable, but he is drawing interest from West Ham and Tottenham. Although Tottenham will only have Pellegrini as an emergency option if nothing else is there, he might be better than nothing at all, especially if Spurs can get him for well under 10 million euros with time ticking on his contract expiry.
Better yet, though, if West Ham are interested, that could open up a better signing for Spurs. Imagine Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta both ending up together at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium under Thomas Frank in 2025/26.