Tottenham have had a worryingly quiet summer transfer window so far, and Thomas Frank quite simply must strengthen before the start of his debut campaign in the north London dugout.
While the likes of Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea spend hundreds of millions on reinforcing their squads, ahead of what is expected to be a very competitive Premier League season, Spurs boast just three major first-team signings.
|
Tottenham’s first five Premier League fixtures of the season |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Burnley (home) |
August 16 |
|
Man City (away) |
August 23 |
|
Bournemouth (home) |
August 30 |
|
West Ham (away) |
September 13 |
|
Brighton (away) |
September 20 |
Mohammed Kudus arrived in a £55 million deal from West Ham, and chairman Daniel Levy managed to negotiate a cut-price £30 million deal for Mathys Tel with Joao Palhinha also arriving on loan – but that is the sum of their activity.
Technically, Tottenham have spent £116 million this summer, if you count Kevin Danso’s obligation to buy deal, which was agreed in January, but Levy’s spending still doesn’t even come close to their arch rivals.
We’re less than a week away from the start of the new Premier League season and a meagre few days from Spurs’ UEFA Super Cup clash against PSG, but Frank’s new-look squad is somehow weaker than Ange Postecoglou’s.
Son Heung-min’s emotional goodbye to LAFC and James Maddison’s crippling ACL rupture, adding to Dejan Kulusevski’s long-term absence with a knee injury, leaves Frank desperately short of options.
Reinforcing the squad with quality is an absolute non-negotiable if Levy is serious about transforming Spurs into genuine trophy contenders.
They’re set to be among the big boys in next season’s Champions League draw too – making new signings all the more important before the transfer deadline in under a month.
Fabrizio Romano has suggested that striker Richarlison could leave Tottenham as well, and if that were to be the case, Spurs could become genuine contenders for Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson with contact made.
There was another striker on their radar earlier this summer, Brentford star Yoane Wissa – a player Frank knows well from his many years at the Gtech.
Likelihood of Tottenham signing Brentford striker Yoane Wissa
Spurs were in talks for Wissa around the time of their failed move to sign playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest, but precious little has been reported about their interest since then. Now, journalist Graeme Bailey has provided an update to TBR Football.
Bailey reports that Frank “specifically identified” Wissa as a target for Tottenham, and the club held talks with him, but the likelihood of Spurs doing a deal for the 29-year-old is now very unlikely as Newcastle United close in on the £40 million forward.
“Spurs did open talks with Yoane Wissa when Frank first came in,” said Bailey. “That was a player Frank specifically identified. But it looks like Wissa’s nailed on for Newcastle now. Frank made it clear from day one that he told Wissa exactly how he wanted to use him, centrally.
“I think Frank also understands the reality. Do you really pay £40 million for a 29-year-old with one year left on his deal? Tottenham are never going to do that. Newcastle look like they will, but there are other reasons behind that move.”
The Congolese bagged 20 goals in all competitions last season, with 19 of them coming in the Premier League, but that £40m could be reinvested into the signing of a proven playmaker – which Frank desperately needs.
You can see why they’ve backed out, and amid reports Jackson could leave Chelsea on loan, they do have other, cheaper options to target up front.
