Tottenham’s Transfer Window Reviewed: A Whirlwind Ending Solves A Few Problems
Tottenham’s Transfer Window Reviewed: A Whirlwind Ending Solves A Few Problems
Blog Article
The last few days of the transfer window were a whirlwind for Tottenham Hotspur.
On Thursday, Ange Postecoglou was looking forward to welcoming Micky van de Ven back from a six-week absence as their injury crisis showed signs of clearing up. Van de Ven played the entire first half of a 3-0 victory over Elfsborg in the Europa League and was replaced at the break by Radu Dragusin in a planned substitution.
Dragusin hobbled off the pitch 20 minutes later after landing awkwardly and clutching his right knee in pain. The Athletic revealed on Monday that the 23-year-old defender suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
Van de Ven missed Sunday’s victory over Brentford, while Cristian Romero’s recovery from a quad injury has been described as a “slow burner” by Postecoglou. Spurs were heading into the biggest week of their season, with important cup ties against Liverpool and Aston Villa, once again with question marks over who would play at the back.
They sprang into action over the weekend by hijacking Wolverhampton Wanderers’ move for Kevin Danso and launching an audacious but unsuccessful bid to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi. A proposed move for 19-year-old forward Mathys Tel appeared to have collapsed on Friday, but 72 hours later, it was resurrected and he joined on loan from Bayern Munich with an option to buy for €55m.
Here, The Athletic takes a deep breath and breaks down a manic month…
Was this window a success or a failure?
Tottenham desperately needed defensive reinforcements and a new goalkeeper in this transfer window. They ticked both of those boxes with Kinsky and Danso, but the latter did not arrive until the day before the window closed. Spurs played nine games in all competitions over the past month and, ideally, the 26-year-old centre-back would have arrived from Lens a lot earlier to ease the burden on Archie Gray and Dragusin.
Even with Danso’s acquisition, Spurs are still short of options in defence. Acquiring Guehi from Crystal Palace would have been a statement signing, but they did not come close to pulling it off.
Spurs made a late bid for Guehi (Sebastian Frej/Getty Images)
Postecoglou has spoken publicly on multiple occasions about the need for more firepower. Tottenham failed in their pursuit of Randal Kolo Muani early in the window but eventually managed to sign the talented but raw Tel.
Despite completing three deals, Spurs are in a similar position to the start of the window. The squad is full of holes due to their injury crisis and it will be a challenge to perform at a high level in four competitions over the final few months of the campaign.
How much did they spend and how much did they bring in?
Spurs paid Slavia Prague £13.3million for Kinsky, while Danso’s loan deal includes an obligation to buy for €25m in the summer.
Tel has joined on loan until the end of the season, but the move can be made permanent. Tottenham have not actually spent a lot of money in this window but have committed to some big fees in the summer.
They did not raise any money as the only departures were loans, with 19-year-old striker Will Lankshear moving to West Bromwich Albion and Yang-Min hyeok heading to Queens Park Rangers.
Was there a standout signing?
Tel’s career has stalled with Bayern Munich but he is still an exciting prospect, while Danso should slot into the starting XI straight away. Both will hope to make an impact as big and as quick as Kinsky.
He made his debut for Spurs in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool. It was a huge challenge for the 21-year-old, who had spent the previous couple of weeks relaxing during the Czech Republic top flight’s winter break. He had just jumped out of the sauna when he received a phone call about Tottenham’s interest in signing him.
Kinsky only trained with his new team-mates twice before he produced a superb performance and kept a clean sheet in an important 1-0 victory over Liverpool that has given them a chance of reaching Wembley.