Spurs Hunt PL Champ; Defender Could Go

The summer window may have only recently closed, but in the modern world of football, you just can’t get away from transfers, and let’s be honest, we all love some transfer gossip.

With that in mind, Football FanCast has gathered some of the latest transfer rumours concerning the potential incomings and outgoings we might see at Tottenham Hotspur this January.

Who have Spurs signed this summer?

While much of the attention from fans and the media in the summer was on Spurs’ outgoings – with good reason – the club had a genuinely impressive summer when it came to incomings, the circus around Harry Kane might’ve benefited the team in the sense that they could conduct a lot of their business without much attention being paid to it.

The marquee signing is clearly England international James Maddison – even if he wasn’t the most expensive – and so far, to say he has lived up to expectations would probably be an understatement. Since arriving in N17 from the recently relegated Leicester City, the 26-year-old has been exceptional every time he has stepped on the pitch.

No doubt, were he not a part of the team, Spurs wouldn’t have got off to such a flyer in the league this year. In just five league games, he has already scored two goals and provided two assists – you wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up with double digits in both come May.

The move to sign Pedro Porro on a permanent and the acquisition of Dutch centre-back Micky van de Ven have also done wonders in making the team look demonstrably better in defence compared to last season – which wouldn’t have been difficult, really. Even new goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has looked excellent after he was a little shaky in his debut against Brentford.

The only question mark so far is whether Brennan Johnson will prove to be value for money. He certainly looked good for Nottingham Forest last season, but £47m is a considerable sum of money to spend on a 22-year-old with limited top-flight experience – time will tell.

Who have Spurs sold this summer?

The most significant transfer business Tottenham conducted all summer was undeniably the sale of their prized asset and all-time top goalscorer Harry Kane, who has departed N17 to join reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

Outside of the 30-year-old, the only significant fee the club have earned this summer came courtesy of Harry Winks’ move to Leicester City, with the Foxes paying £10m for the Englishman’s signature.

Several youngsters have left the side on loan in search of more game time, with Djed Spence opting to drop into the Championship to join Leeds United alongside centre-back Joe Rodon.

Japhet Tanganga followed Kane to Bavaria, joining FC Augsburg on a season-long loan. In contrast, Sergio Reguilon made perhaps the most surprising move of the club’s summer by joining Manchester United to cover for the injured Luke Shaw until at least January.

The window will likely be remembered as the one that saw Harry Kane finally part ways with Tottenham Hotspur, but look past the headlines, and Spurs have had a reasonably successful window in terms of incomings.

Who could Spurs sign in January?

Kalvin Phillips – Manchester City: In what is undoubtedly one of the more surprising transfer links to Tottenham Hotspur at the moment, Steve Kay of Football Transfers has reported that the Lilywhites retain an interest in Manchester City’s forgotten man, Kalvin Phillips.

The report reveals that the former Leeds United star is ‘likely to leave’ City in the coming January window after Pep Guardiola’s decision to not bring him on against Arsenal made it clear to the player that he has no future at the club.

Several clubs are said to be interested in the Englishman, with Newcastle United and Everton named alongside Spurs as potential suitors. While there is little mention of price, he would likely cost but a fraction of the £45m City spent to sign him due to his minimal game time over the last year.

If Phillips can still put in the performances he used to at Elland Road, this could end up being a brilliant deal for all involved.

Kerem Aktürkoğlu – Galatasaray: Turkish giants Galatasaray are enjoying an excellent start to the new season, finding themselves just two points off the top of the Turkish Süper Lig and second in their Champions League group after a memorable win away against Manchester United.

However, that success has now brought eyeballs, and according to Turkish outlet Sabah (via Turkish Football), Tottenham and West Ham United are both interested in exciting winger Kerem Aktürkoğlu.

Nicknamed Harry Potter, Aktürkoğlu has been a vital player for the side this season, starting nine games across the league and Champions League, scoring four goals and providing four assists.

He is reportedly valued at close to €17m (£15m), but with his contract set to run until summer 2026 and his increasing importance within the team, Spurs would likely have to pay a much higher fee than that.

Edmond Tapsoba – Bayer Leverkusen: According to reports from Spain, Ange Postecoglou has made a ‘request’ that Daniel Levy and co sign Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba in the January transfer window.

The 24-year-old is having a brilliant campaign so far, starting six games, conceding just six goals and playing a vital role in Leverkusen’s fine start to the season.

While there is no trustworthy fee being reported at the moment, he would likely cost more than his Transfermartk valuation of €30m (£26m) given his performances and importance to his team.

Santi Gimenez – Feyenoord: Reports from Spain have suggested that Tottenham, Chelsea, and Arsenal are all interested in signing 22-year-old Argentinian striker Santi Gimenez this January.

The young striker is currently plying his trade in the Netherlands with Feyenoord and scored an impressive 15 goals in 21 starts for the club last season.

The reports from Spain suggest that any move would cost in the region of €40-50m (£35-43m).

Lloyd Kelly – Bournemouth: According to football.london’s Alasdair Gold, Tottenham still hold a firm interest in Bournemouth Lloyd Kelly after failing to sign him in the summer.

The 24-year-old had a standout campaign for the Cherries last season, averaging a match rating of 6.59 and winning two Man of the Match awards (via WhoScored) as the south coast side managed to fight off relegation.

A move would likely cost less than the £20m Spurs offered in the summer as Kelly’s contract expires at the end of the season and Bournemouth wouldn’t want to risk losing him on a free.

Jota – Al-Ittihad: Football.london has reported that Tottenham could well be in for another of Postecoglou’s former Celtic players – this time in the form of Portuguese winger Jota.

The dynamic attacker made the move to Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ittihad early on in the summer for a reported fee of £25m, but has since been left on the sidelines.

Since he could not force a move in August, the publication believes that his former boss could come in for him in January to replace the injured Ivan Perisic.

The 24-year-old scored 11 goals and provided 11 assists in 26 Scottish Premiership starts last season and would be an excellent addition to Spurs’ attack.

Ivan Toney – Brentford: Brentford’s immensely talented number nine Ivan Toney has been touted for a move to N17 in January by football.london, although, he has also been linked with Chelsea and Arsenal by the same publication.

It seems almost certain that the former Newcastle United man will be moving this winter, but for as talented as he is, his lack of game time following his betting breaches would make any move for him somewhat of a gamble.

That said, were Spurs able to secure his services for around £50-60m reported by Fabrizio Romano, then it is probably a gamble worth taking.

Gift Orban – Gent: The next player the Lilywhites could sign this winter is one they were heavily linked with in the summer, and one of the continents most exciting youngsters around at the moment.

Gent striker Gift Orban scored a staggering 20 goals in 22 starts last season, and provided and additional two assists as well, giving him a goal involvement every game on average.

Football.london has reported that the young Nigerian could be available for as little as £26m were Spurs to go back in for him in January, which considering his output in Belgium and the state of the market at the moment, seems like a brilliant deal.

Who could leave Spurs in January?

Eric Dier: The former England international was once a prominent figure in Tottenham’s backline, but in recent years, his importance in the side has diminished massively, and this has only been compounded following the arrival of Postecoglou.

It has become abundantly clear that the Australian does not rate the 29-year-old as he has yet to play a single minute for the club this season, and with the form of Romero and Micky van de Ven, it seems incredibly unlikely that he ever will.

With that in mind, the recent report from the Times revealing that Sporting CP – his former side – are planning to come in for him in January should be seen as good news for everyone involved.

Dier has even spoken about his openness to playing abroad again in the past, saying: “I think I will play abroad again at some point in the future, but there’s no rush on that. I would really enjoy experiencing a different type of football again. I think it will happen at some point and I think I look forward to experiencing football in a different culture because I loved it as a kid as well.”

Giovani Lo Celso: According to reports from Spain, Argentinian midfielder Giovani Lo Celso could be on his way out of the club in the new year.

The report claims that La Liga outfit Real Betis are keen to bring the player back to Seville after he enjoyed a successful spell there between 2018-2020.

The 27-year-old’s time in N17 has been nothing short of a disaster considering that he has made a grand total of 86 appearances for the club following his much-hyped move from Betis in the summer of 2020, and with his contract set to expire in 2025, a move in January is probably best for all parties involved.

Hugo Lloris: The veteran shot-stopper’s contract expires next year, and with the arrival of Vicario in the summer, there is very little chance that he will get any game time under Postecoglou, even in cup competitions. If there was ever a more certain January departure, we’d like to know.

How could Spurs line up?

So, how could these potential transfers impact Tottenham’s team? Would they get straight into the starting XI or take up a space on the bench?

Well, for our money, there is just one name in that list of potential incomings who would be guaranteed a spot in Postecoglou’s starting XI: Toney.

The Brentford man has proven that he can be an elite goalscorer in the Premier League and would represent a clear upgrade on Richarlison. His introduction wouldn’t even have to disrupt the current team all that much either, as he could just take Son’s place up top as the South Korean moves back to his natural position out wide.

With Spurs’ highly aggressive style of play under Postecoglou, we can’t see a world in which Toney wouldn’t be a huge success.

The other signings would make the club’s bench so much stronger as well, with Orban and Gimenez being the perfect players to bring on for the last 25 minutes of games. And while Kalvin Phillips could achieve more game time at Spurs, he doesn’t exactly walk into the side ahead of Yves Bissouma or Pape Sarr.

There is an argument that Tapsoba would make it into the XI, but with how well Romero and Van de Ven have started the season, we can’t see either one being relegated to the bench, even for a new signing.

Potential Tottenham XI (4-3-3) Vicario; Pedro Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison, Kulusevski, Son; Toney