Analysing Tottenham's summer transfer dealings

By Jake Jackman

Tottenham made headline news on deadline day as they hijacked Moussa Sissoko’s transfer to Everton, making him their biggest signing of the window. Throughout the transfer window, they have brought in five players and let seven leave the club. They have spent £70 million, which is a big outlay considering they haven’t considerably improved their starting eleven, unlike their rivals at the top of the league. Their biggest strength is the group of players they already have, which they have supplemented, but they haven’t pushed onto the next level.

Their first signing of the summer was Victor Wanyama, who is a destroyer and adds competition for the central midfield places. He is an excellent tackler and his ability to win the ball in midfield will make him an asset in the big matches. Spurs now have three players vying for three spots in the centre of midfield and this competition is good to have for a side in the Champions League.

It has been evident during their first three matches that Mousa Dembele has been missing and the Belgian is expected to come back into the side. That will leave Wanyama competing for the remaining spot with Eric Dier and they are likely to rotate depending on the game. His passing is a weakness, which could mean he doesn’t play in matches that Tottenham are expected to dominate, but he is a good signing.

For the last two years, Tottenham have been over-reliant on Harry Kane and it was crucial that they signed a new striker, which they have done. They had been linked with Michy Batshuayi and Alexandre Lacazette, but they were reluctant to spend more than £25 million on a striker as they were only likely to be a rotational option for Kane. They ended up with Vincent Janssen for roughly £18 million and that was a smart move from the club.

Janssen was the top scorer in the Dutch league and his career has developed very quickly. Last summer, he moved from Almere City to AZ Alkmaar for a minimal fee. It took him a while to adjust to top flight football, but an incredible second half of the season saw him debut for the national team and receive interest from several big sides around Europe. His work rate and ability to influence play from deep mark him as an excellent deputy for Kane, while Pochettino has shown that he will play the two together at times. This is a good option to have, especially when Spurs are chasing a game. He will need time to adjust as he did in the Eredivisie, but those who have watched him develop believe that he will become a good Premier League striker.

This moves us nicely onto their deadline day business and they added two attacking players. Pochettino wanted to address the lack of pace in his front line. Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela are both excellent players, but they aren’t likely to get in behind defences. The signing of Georges-Kevin Nkoudou provides pace in abundance and he is known for his dribbling ability. There are doubts about his end product and he is unlikely to be more than an impact sub. That said, the club will be happy that he finally signed after over a month of negotiations. Supporters will compare his signing with last summer’s acquisition of Clinton Njie and will be hoping that Nkoudou can have a much bigger impact.

Moussa Sissoko supplied the big talking point on deadline day and it is an intriguing move from Spurs. For £30 million, you would expect that the player bought will improve the club’s starting eleven. This isn’t necessarily the case with Sissoko as it is unclear where he fits in. He is a powerful runner with the ball, capable of playing as a winger or a central midfielder and his ability to carry the ball long distances is why Pochettino wanted to sign him.

At Newcastle, he was accused of going missing when he was most needed and the reaction of their supporters on social media after the deal was announced won’t fill Tottenham fans with encouragement. However, it was a difficult environment to play at a high level consistently. He showed the player he could be at the Euros and if Pochettino can get him to play at that level consistently, they will have a great player on their hands.

Tottenham have failed to improve their starting eleven and for that reason this window has to be considered a disappointment, especially considering the money they have spent. In terms of outgoings, they recouped £35 million for fringe players and that will be pleasing to Levy. Under Pochettino, the club are on the right tracks, but this window could have been much better.

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