Tottenham Hotspur have been left with a huge hole to fill in Thomas Frank’s first-team squad, after it was confirmed that James Maddison would be ruled out for the majority of the campaign.
The England international was stretchered off in the pre-season friendly with Newcastle United last weekend, suffering a knee injury which was feared to be serious.
However, in the last couple of days, the worst was confirmed, with the 28-year-old tearing his ACL, which requires surgery and could see him miss up to nine months.
Frank has been in the market to land a new attacking midfielder already this summer, potentially needing to delve into the window once again after the recent injury setback.
The hierarchy have already wasted no time in making a move to land a suitable replacement, with numerous players being considered ahead of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign.
The latest on Spurs’ hunt for new additions this summer
Jack Grealish is a player who’s been on Spurs’ radar over the last couple of weeks, even making contact with Manchester City over a loan deal for the 29-year-old.
However, they may miss out on the Englishman’s signature, after Everton made their own move to complete a deal for the £100m talent over the last few days.
Another name that has been thrown into the mix is Jacob Ramsey, with the Aston Villa forward a player who could leave Unai Emery’s side this window, according to CaughtOffside.
Their report claims that the Lilywhites hierarchy have already made contact with his current employers over a move for the 24-year-old who made 29 Premier League appearances last season.
It also states that West Ham United are also present in the race for the attacker’s signature, leading to a £40m transfer fee being mooted throughout this summer.
Why Spurs’ £40m target would be Gibbs-White 2.0
Morgan Gibbs-White looked set to be a Spurs player at one stage earlier this summer, but it turned out to be one of the strangest sagas to unfold throughout the off-season.
The Nottingham Forest star was set for a medical in North London, after Frank’s side triggered the £60m release clause within his contract – a deal that seemingly came out of nowhere.
However, despite a deal seemingly just needing the final touches before being completed, Reds owner Evangelos Marinakis intervened, complaining about an illegal approach from the Lilywhites.
It’s thought Forest never gave the player permission to enter talks with the North London outfit, which resulted in a stand-off, before Gibbs-White penned a new three-year deal at the City Ground last month.
However, after missing out on the 25-year-old’s signature, they could be about to land a star similar to the former target, with Ramsey potentially following an identical route of leaving his boyhood side to further his career.
When delving into the pair’s respective stats, the Villa talent has managed to outperform Gibbs-White in key areas, highlighting how much of a superb addition it would be for just £40m.
Ramsey, who’s been labelled a “monster” by one analyst, managed to complete more passes, whilst also registering more into the opposition box per 90 last season – arguably being a more creative option than the Forest captain.
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How Ramsey and MGW compare in the PL (2024/25) |
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|---|---|---|
|
Statistics (per 90) |
Ramsey |
MGW |
|
Games played |
29 |
34 |
|
Goals & assists |
4 |
15 |
|
Pass accuracy |
85% |
78% |
|
Passes into opposition box |
1.4 |
1.3 |
|
Take-on success |
54% |
40% |
|
Progressive carries |
3.4 |
2.2 |
|
Carries into opposition box |
1.2 |
0.4 |
|
Tackles won |
0.9 |
0.7 |
|
Blocks made |
1.3 |
0.5 |
|
Stats via FBref |
||
He also achieved a higher tally of take-ons completed and carries into the opposition’s box per 90, handing Frank’s side the needed creativity that will be missing after Maddison’s latest injury.
A smaller fee for a player a year younger could actually be a superb piece of business for Spurs, with Ramsey’s potential move to North London allowing the fanbase to forget about the disappointment of missing out on Gibbs-White.
He may not be the supporters’ first choice this window, but his underlying stats highlight the talent he possesses – whilst he’s only going to get better when operating with more top-level talent around him.
If he can build on his impressive start to his career at Villa with the Lilywhites, he could well prove to be the perfect player to fill the void whilst Maddison spends the next few months on the sidelines.
