It was another hectic weekend for Tottenham Hotspur. Will it ever quieten down?
Indeed, just hours after another Premier League defeat, this time at the hands of Newcastle, Spurs were dealt the blow that their number one target for the remainder of the window in Cody Gakpo had chosen he wanted to sign for Manchester City instead.
The Lilywhites wasted no time in finding an alternative. A deal was agreed with Everton to sign Iliman Ndiaye for £60m. Richarlison will move in the opposite way. It’s an excellent piece of business, particularly this late in the window.
How Spurs’ new look attack could line up with Ndiaye
Spurs have been incredibly active right throughout the summer and as we approach the final few days of the window, they have not slowed down.
Savio signed in the early stages of last week before just a matter of days later, Omar Marmoush followed him from Manchester City to north London.
Roberto De Zerbi was not content with just those two. Ndiaye will also walk through the doors as potentially the most interesting addition of all of the new forwards.
Yet, how on earth will the Italian fit all of these players into his new look attack? Well, there’s a whole number of ways he could configure his team but it’s really rather simple.
With Liverpool’s move for Gakpo falling through, it will likely leave Marmoush as the starting centre-forward. He played in a mix of positions for City but was electric as the striker in 2024/25, scoring 19 of his 28 goals from that role that season.
Behind him, Spurs are likely to have an incredibly dynamic front three. One option could see Savinho line up on the left, Mohamed Kudus play on the right and Ndiaye play as a 10.
Another configuration could see Savinho and Ndiaye operate as the wingers with Kudus or James Maddison through the middle. Once Dejan Kulusevksi and Xavi Simons come back, it will no doubt be even trickier for De Zerbi to settle on his side each week.
It’s a nice headache to have, but his selection dilemma could get even bigger if they sign one more forward.
Spurs could sign one of the quickest players in Europe
A busy summer for Spurs is set to conclude in some style. One of the Premier League’s most threatening and dangerous wide forwards are on their way to sign for Tottenham.
Ndiaye will represent a big upgrade on the underperforming Mathys Tel if he plays on the left flank.
Well, Tel’s place in the team will come under even greater threat if they sign another attacker, something that is a distinct possibility. Indeed, according to TEAMtalk, Spurs have made initial enquiries over a number of wingers in recent days, including Jean-Matteo Bahoya at Eintracht Frankfurt, Marmoush’s former employers.
Hull City had agreed a deal to sign the £21m-rated forward over the weekend but he has rejected the Tigers, potentially leaving Spurs to pick up the pieces. A concrete move is not in motion but talks were held over the terms of a deal.
While signing a Hull target may not be the most eye-catching pieces of business, Tottenham could get their hands on another really menacing winger, someone who is arguably just as dangerous as Ndiaye.
Indeed, since the Bundesliga started recording player speeds, Bahoya is the fastest player to have ever been clocked in the German top-flight, hitting a top speed of 37.16km/h. To put that into context, Gareth Bale in his prime was clocked at 36.9km/h.
So, in full flight, he’s incredibly difficult to stop. Combine that with his carrying ability and this looks like one of the most captivating wingers around, even if he did only score four goals last term.
One of Ndiaye’s top attributes is his dribbling ability. There was only one player in the Premier League last term who recorded more than his tally of 70 dribbles across the entire season. That was Jeremy Doku with 77. Per 90 minutes, it worked out as 2.36 successful dribbles.
Most dribbles in the Premier League (2025/26) | |
|---|---|
Player | Dribbles completed |
1) Jeremy Doku | 77 |
2) Iliman Ndiaye | 70 |
3) Yankuba Minteh | 64 |
4) Jarrod Bowen | 53 |
5) Mohammed Kudus | 51 |
6) Michael Kayode | 50 |
7) Crysencio Summerville | 49 |
8) Antoine Semenyo | 48 |
Well, Bahoya is even better in that regard. He ranked tenth in the Bundesliga for successful dribbles with 41 across the 2025/26 campaign at a rate of 2.78 per 90 minutes.
His ball-carrying is also better than Ndiaye with the 21-year-old Frankfurt star registering 4.67 progressive carries per 90, ranking him among the finest 8% of wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for that metric. Ndiaye ranks among the best 30% with 2.97.
So, he’s got all of the raw attributes to become a real star in the Premier League. The next task for him is to improve his overall output, registering just eight goal involvements last time out.
