Ange Postecoglou will have two new faces to work with when Tottenham’s pre-season training begins this weekend, plus one returning, but there is plenty more to do in the transfer window.
Spurs have brought Archie Grey The Leeds United man has paid £40m, which includes £25m plus Joe Rodon, who is leaving in the other direction. The Championship Young Player of the Year will join another highly-rated 18-year-old prodigy, Lucas Bergvallfollowing his £8.5m move from Djurgarden in February.
There is also an older face returning, Timo Werner, whose loan from RB Leipzig was extended for a further season in May, to add another option to Postecoglou’s squad ready for a very intense season with the return of continental football and the Europa League back on the menu.
There are still almost two months of the summer transfer window left, but Postecoglou said football.london The club are keen to bring in fresh faces for pre-season, so the club cannot afford to wait. Here are five issues that still need to be decided following Gray’s departure from Leeds.
How does Gray affect other movements?
Spurs were delighted to sign Archie Gray, as there was plenty of interest in him from the Premier League and top teams in Europe. To secure his signature after Brentford’s attempts failed, Tottenham would have had to have offered a clearer route into Postecoglou’s first team in the near future than their rivals.
It raises the question of whether the versatile England Under-21 international, who is naturally a central midfielder who many believe will end up as a number six but played much of last season at right-back, will have altered Spurs’ plans for this window. The Premier League will be a step up for Gray but he played 52 times for Leeds last season in a physical Championship so is no greenhorn despite his age.
Some have compared his preparation for the top flight to that of Gareth Bale, who played regularly in the Championship with Southampton for a season before joining Spurs aged 17. It was only an ankle injury that really prevented the Welshman from continuing his run of early starts in his first season at the club.
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Could Gray’s ability to play right-back as a midfielder then lend itself to Postecoglou’s inverted full-back role and remove the need to find another right-back if Emerson Royal leaves for AC Milan this summer? Or could the club decide not to sign another number six this summer to allow the teenager to grow into that role as an alternative to Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur?
Postecoglou and technical director Johan Lange will have to make decisions on all that after the opportunity arose to bring in a budding star like Gray.
Which attackers come in?
Postecoglou admitted football.london bringing in new attacking players is a priority for him this summer. Werner signing again for another season is an option that fits into the Australian’s system, but more attacking players will arrive during this window.
football.london Last month, it was reported that Rennes’ Desire Doue is one of the players Tottenham have on their shortlist for an attacking midfield role, capable of playing out wide on either flank and in the centre. That keen interest in the 19-year-old has not waned and with the Frenchman linked with a number of top clubs in Europe, including Bayern and PSG, any bid to land him would be highly competitive. Spurs have a strong relationship with Rennes, having loaned out Rodon and Djed Spence to them in the past.
Doue fits the transfer profile of a club like Tottenham as a moderately expensive player who can become a star in the coming years while impressing now and who they can fight more fairly for, without the Champions League at stake.
For example, the north London club love Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, but so do most of the world’s top clubs and the 21-year-old’s performances for Spain at Euro 2024 have only added to that figure. The problem doesn’t end there, as despite an initial £49m release clause, the player is already earning £170,000-a-week at Athletic Bilbao, so the competition will be much higher for any potential suitors. So it remains to be seen where Tottenham would rank in the food chain even if they did try to sign the Euro star.
Postecoglou also wants another attacking option, with Lille’s Canadian international Jonathan David among the list of names the club have considered for that position.
The Australian wants more firepower in attack and the attacking positions are ones he will want to fill sooner rather than later before considering additional defensive additions.
Do you need experience?
Postecoglou likes to develop top-class young players and Spurs prefer that profile of signing, but the Australian will also need some experienced new arrivals if he is to realise his hopes of getting the club to challenge at the top of the Premier League next season while competing in all competitions.
Spurs like Crystal Palace star God bless you The England international is certain to be his team-mate, but his club appear confident of retaining the midfielder this summer. Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey belongs to the young but also experienced category in the Premier League, as does Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher.
Continuing with the English theme, Spurs have been among the many clubs linked with Brentford striker Ivan Toney. The north London side have distanced themselves from such reports for much of this transfer window so far, but we can’t help but wonder if his price drops as the weeks go by and the competition isn’t there for his services, whether Tottenham will think about the English player again before the transfer window closes.
Postecoglou certainly needs more veteran heads to help guide his young team.
Who is going?
Offers will start to pour in for Tottenham players now that the financial books for next season have been opened, easing fears over profit and sustainability rules for the time being. Spurs have so many players who are happy to move on this summer, with many of them in the final 12 months of their contracts, including Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Giovani Lo Celso and Sergio Reguilon, while Djed Spence is also not in Postecoglou’s plans, with Genoa keen to keep him for the right price.
Bryan Gil will also be available for a suitable price, along with Emerson, while AZ Alkmaar remain favourites to sign Troy Parrott this summer, although they have so far been unable to agree a deal with Tottenham. Oliver Skipp wants to play regularly next season, but is a club-bred academy player who rarely features in the Europa League for Tottenham.
Other offers will be received for players Postecoglou is happy to keep next season, which in itself could lead to a rethink of plans, with Richarlison the subject of continued interest from Saudi Pro League clubs.
Which youngsters stay and which ones go on loan?
Postecoglou must also make a decision on which of the club’s young stars will remain in his squad for next season to get game time in the Premier League and Europa League, as well as domestic cup competitions, and which will leave on loan for a full season of senior experience.
Mikey Moore is expected to be heavily involved in pre-season after the 16-year-old spent much of the end of last season with the first team and had two Premier League appearances under his belt. Borussia Dortmund are sniffing around the player who has technically agreed his first professional contract with Spurs but won’t sign it until he turns 17 on August 11 so is not yet fully secured.
Postecoglou has a lot of faith in Moore, who is currently believed to be happy at Spurs, and the youngster will get minutes this summer in pre-season and then during the campaign, which the club hopes will be enough to prevent any envious glances from the outside turning into anything more than that.
Tyrese Hall is also expected to feature for the first team while decisions are made on the other members of Tottenham’s successful but currently outsized Under-21 squad.
football.london understands that Luton Town are very interested in taking Jamie Donley on loan to the Championship, as are Oxford United, and former Spurs assistant coach Chris Davies at Birmingham City is also interested in the 19-year-old, who made four first-team appearances last season under Postecoglou.
There have been plenty of questions asked about Will Lankshear following the striker’s 32 goals for the Under-21s last season, but questions remain over whether he should remain at Tottenham for next season to ensure he is seen as club-bred and home-grown for seasons to come.
There are also next steps to be decided for Dane Scarlett, Alejo Veliz, Alfie Devine and Ashley Phillips, among others, with Matthew Craig expected to head out on loan again following his successful spell at Doncaster Rovers.
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