After the initial burst of business, there now appears to be inertia. Specifically, no good saying cannot get striker #3 until new CB is done etc.
Noni Madueke has come up again If we move on both Bergwijn and Lucas, this makes an awful lot of sense as we'd be getting some depth in the attacking three while also filling both a HG and a CG spot - also, more importantly, it gives us a degree of tactical flexibility as Madueke cuts inside early while Deki sticks to the touchline more, meaning we can coordinate with our WBs
It’ll be interesting to see how Richarlison handles the transition to not starting every game but I think he’s smart business from the club. It’s a big fee being bandied around but it’s what it takes to get a PL club’s top performer these days. Lenglet will be one to watch. He seems to get panned by a lot of Barca fans (based on a quick scroll through Twitter) but he’ll get more protection in a back 3 and he’s very good on the ball, by all accounts. Still think he’s a flexible cover for Dier and LCB and we’ll go for another left-sided player, maybe a bit younger though.
So it looks like Richarlison is pretty much done. I'm a big fan and I'm delighted we're getting him in. So after Richarlison we need a MINIMUM of 2 signings - A LCB and a RWB. If Rodon leaves a CCB is required and possibly either a creative mid or wide forward to give us the 2 quality players for each position that Conte craves ( bearing in mind that Bergwijn looks a cert to leave). So hopefully this is what our 25 man squad looks like going into the new season- Gk - Lloris, Forester, Austin CB - Romero, Dier, Davies, Sanchez, Rodon/CCB , LCB, Tanganga WB - RWB, Doherty/Emerson, Peresic, Sessegnon CM - Bissouma, Bentacur, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Sarr F - Kulu, Kane, Son , Lucas, Richarlison, WF Outs - Rodon ? Emerson/Doherty, Winks, LoCelso, Ndombele, Reguilon, Bergwijn Loans Out - Gil , Devine, White, Parrott, Scarlett,
One of the reasons I like getting Clement is that I think Davies was outstanding last year and is an excellent fit for Conte at LCB. Getting someone in at around his level gives Spurs depth and competition and leaves Davies with a chance to have another excellent year. Dier was fariy good as well, I thought, but not as good. I'd rather Spurs spend big to upgrade him.
Spurs would do much better to study how Everton market their flops than to add a really expensive one to their list. Richarlison is the weaker of the two strikers on the fifth worst club in the league. He's below average in 9/10 passing and shooting stats FBref measures. The one where he's above average, assists, looks like a fluke, since his expected assists are also well below average. He looks to me like he's got a lot of headless chicken in him, which would explain why he falls down so much. But Everton need to sell him both to meet FFP regulations and to get a striker who can do the job, there's a lot of hype around him, so Spurs step in with a huge bid. It's certainly very obliging.
I hope we announce Lenglet in a manner that doesn't look uncannily like donkey tranqs were involved...
So Richarlison and Lenglet in by the end of the week by the sounds of it. Very pleased with the 5 signings so far. Bremer, Spence and hopefully a creative forward and that is a superb transfer window imo.
A slight word of caution about expecting Richarlison to be announced tomorrow: if there's evidence of the clubs working on a fee before the FFP deadline, then the deal can go though after the deadline without issue That being said, announcing Lenglet on Friday but nothing about Richarlison until Monday/Tuesday would likely make the Twitter fanbase particularly irritating the entire weekend, so probably best to get the ducks lined up and announced on the same day, Lenglet being announced early before the full media blitz for Richarlison
I’ve always been a big fan of Davies as a defender, he’s just never been a modern day FB/ WB but this LCB role is literally tailor made for him. The only thing I feel he lacks is that technical ability to play out from the back like how Romero can or how Jan/ Toby could. That’s where I think Lenglet can come in handy, in games where we’re not expected to defend too much, Lenglet’s ball skills will be handier in getting play moving, though in games where defending is gonna be more pivotal then Davies has to start. As for Dier, agree, had a good season but I think he can be upgraded or at least properly challenged for the role to create good competition. I could be wrong about going in for Bremer but it’s just a hunch I have, soon see if that hunch is correct I guess as Bremer’s a wanted man.
Richarlison and Lenglet good squad options and will keep players on their toes. Kulu has been pretty much faultless since he’s arrived but you never know when a player will lose form. Even Son at times looks like he could with a spell out of the team
It’s mental that a year ago today Nuno was announced as the new Spurs manager. As has been said on twitter, a year really is a long time in football!
