Spurs hold interest in signing £42m-rated England gem

Once again, Tottenham Hotspur’s season has been greatly affected by injuries. Thomas Frank’s stale and uninspiring football has created a bitter fug about the north Londoners’ territory, but he will be frustrated by the number of things, out of his control, that have gone wrong.

However, Tottenham beat Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, perhaps setting a foundation from which the Dane’s system can build.

Even so, it came at the expense of Lucas Bergvall’s fitness, with the exciting young midfielder now ruled out for several months with an ankle sprain.

Spurs’ injury problems deepen with a number of first-team personnel now sat on the sidelines.

Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison remain long-term absentees while Mohammed Kudus has also joined them on the sidelines. All of the creativity is being sapped out of the side as a result.

While Conor Gallagher has been signed from Atletico Madrid for £35m already in January, ENIC Group understand the need for more creativity in the centre of the park.

The latest on Spurs’ search for a midfielder

Though he’s not a particularly strong playmaker, Rodrigo Bentancur is out for a number of months too, and that complicates matters in midfield.

14th in the Premier League, Tottenham need to improve, with struggles in the build-up chief among Frank’s many problems. While Gallagher will help, he’s not a progressive passer.

Perhaps that’s why interest has been registered in Liverpool star Curtis Jones, with the Daily Mail confirming they have a ‘long-term’ interest in the England international.

Liverpool would be reluctant to part with their home-grown talent, for sure, but Spurs would offer the 24-year-old a more senior role at N17, and that could tempt him to jump ship.

No price tag has been mooted, but Jones is rated as highly as £42m by Football Transfers xTV model (expected transfer value).

What Curtis Jones would bring to Tottenham

At the start of January, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher suggested that Jones should now be ahead of Alexis Mac Allister in Liverpool’s midfield.

He is elite at retaining the ball, but he’s also opened up more progression to his passing since Arne Slot’s arrival at Anfield, and therefore could be the perfect piece to add to Frank’s midfield, praised for his “truly special” style of play by one analyst.

Another Premier League analyst has even hailed him as “one of the most underrated players in England”, with his range of passing and strong defensive skillset perfect for Frank’s flagging system.

As you can see, Jones is performing at a higher level than Bergvall in the Premier League this season, and that’s not to the young Swede’s discredit. This is a 19-year-old kid who has entered a new ground and division at a testing time.

Since arriving at the start of last season, Bergvall has played 71 times for the Lilywhites, scoring twice and assisting eight goals.

He has so much potential, but Frank needs an instant fix, and Jones’ cool-headed passing game has been imbued with creative flair in recent years, and that’s why he could be such an asset at Tottenham.

Having won plenty of silverware at Liverpool, Jones would help steer the culture in the right direction too, but given that he has a skillset that the Londoners are practically crying out for, this could be a game-changing signing for a side who have the talent to succeed, and just need one or two parts to put Frank’s vision into practice.

Related

Better than Bergvall: £65m “machine” is now Spurs’ dream target for 2026

Tottenham are searching for ways to improve their creative levels in the Premier League.