Analysing Tottenham’s Summer Business – How Did Spurs Fare In The Transfer Window
Tottenham Hotspur were facing an important summer, having once again fallen short of the Premier League title, after coming so close for the second time running, last season.
Coming into the new season, manager Mauricio Pochettino will have known that they club needed to go a step further this term, if they are to well and truly announce themselves and keep hold of the best of their players. To that end, reinforcement and strengthening of the squad was needed and after a slow start, Tottenham kicked on towards the end of the window, wrapping up the summer. Here we take a look at how the North Londoners fared in the recently concluded transfer window.
Outs: Kyle Walker, Kevin Wimmer, Nabil Bentaleb, Clinton N’Jie, Federico Fazio
Loan Departures: Josh Onomah, Cameron Carter-Vickers
The biggest departure for the North Londoners, that created a huge wave, was that of Kyle Walker to Manchester City. The right-back joined Pep Guardiola’s revolution for a fee of £50million. Unwanted defender Kevin Wimmer was shipped to Stoke City for £18million, while the club recouped good profits from the sales of Nabil Bentaleb (Schalke), Clinton N’Jie (Marseille) and Federico Fazio (AS Roma).
Academy graduates Josh Onomah and Cameron Carter-Vickers were loaned out to Championship sides Aston Villa and Sheffield United respectively.
Ins: Davinson Sanchez, Juan Foyth, Paulo Gazzaniga, Serge Aurier, Fernando Llorente
There was a lot of frustration building among the fans regarding the lack of transfer activity at first, but the club made a flurry of additions towards the end of the window.
Two young South American talents arrived at the club, in the form of Davinson Sanchez from AFC Ajax for a club record £42million fee and Juan Foyth from Estudiantes for £10million. Pochettino also decided to add depth to his goal-keeping department by signing Paulo Gazzaniga from Southampton. Two more additions were made to the squad on the deadline day, as Spurs signed right-back Serge Aurier from Paris Saint-Germain for £23million and Fernando Llorente from Swansea City for £15 million.
How Did They Fare in The Window?
As said above, the fans had to endure a couple of months of frustration as Tottenham held back on completing deals, in a crazy transfer market. When their rivals were out splurging the cash on getting deals done, Daniel Levy and Pochettino sat back with patience.
However, the results are there for everyone to see, as a week before the deadline, the North Londoners were able to complete some very good business. They showed to the people who were questioning their ambitions, that they can break the bank if need be, signing Davinson Sanchez for a club-record fee. The 21-year old Colombian has had just a single season of European football, but has impressed each and every one with his innate abilities and maturity. Having sold Wimmer, for a huge profit, they have brought in a younger replacement who is a great upgrade on the Austrian.
Walker’s sale was another solid piece of business from the club, showing how Levy remains one of the toughest and the shrewdest negotiators. It was clear that Pochettino did not see Walker as an integral part of the squad towards the end of last campaign. Kieran Trippier had overtaken him as the first-choice and Spurs managed to get City to fork out £50million for his services.
Not being able to bring in a replacement would have made things a little difficult, but in Serge Aurier, they have gotten their hands on the ideal player to fill in for the England international. The Frenchman may have some off-the-field issues, but his talent on the pitch is there for all to see. The considerable amount of experience for a side that competed for the league title in the last two seasons and the know-how of European football, will be an added bonus.
In Juan Foyth, they have brought in Argentina’s most highly-rated young defender. The 19-year old is an excellent prospect, with his ball-playing skills already polished to a great level. He can deputise in a defensive midfield role as well and surely is someone to watch out for going forward.
Having failed to convert the loan signing of Pau Lopez from Espanyol into a permanent one, Pochettino decided to bring in a familiar face in the form of Gazzaniga. The Argentine will not play a lot, with Hugo Lloris and Michel Vorm being the preferred options. But he could be relied upon for low key encounters.
Last summer’s signing Vincent Janssen was made available for transfer after a difficult debut season, but the player rejected moves away in order to stay and fight for his place, which is the kind of attitude that is going to be rewarded by Poch. The club managed to hold on to Eric Dier despite Manchester United’s serious attempts to sign him, which was another major positive for the club.
It also seems that the manager has decided to give last summer’s failure Moussa Sissoko another shot, but it doesn’t seem like the smartest of moves.
However, the signing of Fernando Llorente could prove to be the most crucial one for the club. A lack of a proper backup for Harry Kane has plagued Spurs for some time now and Janssen’s failure last season highlighted the need for a proven striker to be signed. In Llorente, they have brought in a vastly experienced forward, who has proven himself at all the clubs he has played for, at domestic and continental levels.
One thing that might have disappointed the club’s fans is the failure to add a creative midfielder to the ranks. They were in for Ross Barkley of Everton and Barcelona’s Andre Gomes, but the deals could not be completed.
Verdict
Despite a quiet start, Tottenham finished the summer window on a great high, adding some very good quality proven players to their ranks. The failure to land another midfielder aside, it has been another excellent summer for the North Londoners.
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