EPL
The areas Tottenham must address in the January transfer window
Once again, Tottenham have arrived at a pivotal moment in Antonio Conte’s tenure.
The Italian worked wonders during his first few months at the club to restore the Lilywhites as a Champions League outfit, and it was the club’s work in the 2022 January transfer window that facilitated their late season push for fourth spot.
The signings of Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus were nothing short of masterstrokes, and Spurs could do with conducting more similarly astute pieces of business this winter after a mixed summer window which initially promised so much.
The club are supposedly willing to back their manager in January, with Conte keen to bring in a couple of new arrivals in key positions as he attempts to secure another top-four berth.
Here are the areas Tottenham must address in the January transfer window.
Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini. Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Gary Cahill. Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij, Alessandro Bastoni. Conte has worked with some brilliant defences during his managerial career and turned others into incredibly stout units.
The Italian initially worked his magic with a vulnerable Spurs backline, but their defence has been nothing short of abysmal this season. Cristian Romero’s wandering eye for the World Cup certainly hasn’t helped, nor has Eric Dier’s form falling off a cliff after his England recall, but this was a position the club should’ve spent heavily on in the summer and all they could muster was a Clement Lenglet loan.
To his credit, Lenglet has barely put a foot wrong since arriving, but Conte needs more… much more.
Spurs require two established defenders if they’re to match their manager’s ambition: Romero and two others.
Perhaps they could reignite their interest in Bastoni, who hasn’t enjoyed the best of seasons with Inter thus far, while De Vrij is a possibility for the central centre-back position.
Sporting CP’s Goncalo Inacio and Napoli’s Kim Min-jae are two other names worth exploring.
“Club signing” Djed Spence was the saviour in the eyes of many Spurs supporters, but the young wing-back has barely got a look in since arriving from Middlesbrough in the summer.
Emerson Royal has continued to operate as Conte’s first-choice wing-back down the right, but the Brazilian’s technical deficiencies and attacking incompetence have been sources of much frustration at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Matt Doherty is certainly a better option than Emerson, but the Irishman is yet to find his groove after returning from a long-term injury in the autumn.
Despite having several options, right wing-back is the club’s priority this winter. It’s a position that’s crucial to the success of Conte-led sides, and Spurs have to get it right in January at the third time of asking.
The Lilywhites need greater technique in their build-up and a more efficient performer in the final third. Sporting CP’s Pedro Porro supposedly impressed the Tottenham manager during their Champions League meetings, and the Spaniard would be a great addition.
Spurs fans are clamouring for the club to bring in a creator of James Maddison’s ilk, but Conte’s devotion to the 3-4-3 means it doesn’t make too much sense signing a player of the England international’s profile.
The Lilywhites are worryingly reliant on Kulusevski for a source of innovation in central areas and there’s no denying that Conte’s side needs another creative spark. Thus, signing a bonafide Kulusevski deputy wouldn’t go amiss.
The likes of Rennes’ Lovro Majer, Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskyi and even Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech fit the bill in that regard.
However, Spurs could also go down the Maddison route and sign a high-quality midfielder that’s capable of providing a creative spark when functioning in Conte’s pivot or a three-man midfield when the boss goes 3-5-2. Ghana international Mohammed Kudus must be looked at by Fabio Paratici and company.
Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has suggested that he is not as appreciated at club level as he is for England.
Maguire made the switch to the Red Devils for £80m back in 2019 and has since divided opinion after being named the skipper less than a year later. This season, he was quickly dropped by incoming United manager Erik ten Hag in favour of Raphael Varane and summer signing Lisandro Martinez.
At international level however, the centre-back has been one of England’s most dependable performers under Gareth Southgate, playing a major role in the Three Lions’ deep tournament runs over the last five years.
Maguire started for England in Thursday’s 2-1 win at Italy in Euro 2024 qualifying. He didn’t cover himself in glory for the Azzurri’s goal but stood tall late on to help grind out the victory.
Speaking to the media post-match, Maguire was asked if he feels ‘properly appreciated’.
“For England, yes, I do,” he replied. “Obviously, last season was difficult for the club, but, listen, I’ve proven myself to Gareth, who works with a wide range of centre backs. He has the choice of all the English centre-backs in the country and I play, every time I’m available, I’ve been in the team.
“I’m sure if you ask the rest of the lads they know what I bring to the team. I’m 30 years old but I shouldn’t really need to prove myself at this level. I’ve over 50 caps. I’m England’s top-scoring defender.
“I’ve played nearly 200 times for Manchester United, I’ve captained the club for three years now, but I do also understand that when you’re the captain of Manchester United you do come under the most amount of scrutiny. Last season at club level, my performance wasn’t good enough, alongside everybody else at club level, not just myself struggled. Everyone else struggled.”
Maguire recognises that he has not always been at his best while wearing a United shirt.
He was an easy scapegoat during their dreadful 2021/22 season in which they recorded their lowest ever points tally in the Premier League era.
That said, Maguire has also failed to kick on and if anything has taken several steps backwards after what was a promising first half to 2021, emerging as one of the league’s leading centre-backs and playing out of his skin while unfit in England’s run to the Euro 2020 final.
His case hasn’t been helped by his outward need silence critics, notably scoring for England and sticking his fingers in his ears as a celebration amid his decline for United.
90min rounds up the latest transfer news, rumours and gossip circulating around the world…
Arsenal remain ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign Declan Rice from West Ham this summer. The midfielder’s preference is to stay in London amid previous links to Manchester City and Manchester United. (Football Insider)
New Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel will look to reunite with Chelsea duo Mateo Kovacic and Edouard Mendy when the summer window rolls around. (Calciomercato)
Manchester United are ready to send Amad Diallo back to Sassuolo as part of a bid to sign Italy midfielder Davide Frattesi. (CMW)
Another player on Manchester United‘s radar is Brighton striker Evan Ferguson. The 18-year-old scored on his debut for the Republic of Ireland earlier this week. (Football Insider)
Liverpool will look to strengthen their defensive ranks with the signing of Dutch defender Perr Schuurs, with current club Torino ready to sell for a fee of €50m. (Tuttosport)
Ilkay Gundogan is likely to leave Manchester City for Barcelona on a free transfer this summer. His contract expires at the end of the season. (The Athletic)
Real Madrid have joined Barcelona and Liverpool in the race to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. (Fabrizio Romano)
Meanwhile, Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga would prefer to join Real Madrid over the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United this summer. (Cadena SER)
After failing with a bid last summer, Chelsea are working on another offer to sign Romeo Lavia from Southampton. (Football Insider)
Arsenal and Newcastle are monitoring Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojland, who grabbed a hat-trick on his international debut for Denmark this week. (Tutto Atalanta)
Having reached new heights in the Premier League in 2022/23, Arsenal will soon be beginning their preparations for the new campaign with a pre-season tour to get ready for 2023/24.
Preparations for last season took place in Germany for Arsenal but with the Covid-19 pandemic a bit more of a distant memory for many, it is expected that more teams will be heading further afield again to either the United States of America or Asia.
Arsenal are yet to announce a full training camp location for their pre-season but they do have one fixture already confirmed which drops a big clue.
The Gunners are going to be coming up against an MLS All-Star team in Washington D.C. which will be coached by Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney. That takes place on July 19 and it is hard to imagine that Arsenal will only play one game in America.
A semi-regular fixture of Arsenal’s pre-seasons in recent years has been the Emirates Cup, but there has not been any word on whether an edition of that will be taking place or not this summer. If there is, then Arsenal could be splitting their time between America and London.
All times BST.
As is the case for almost every big club in football now, all of Arsenal’s pre-season friendlies are expected to be televised live on Arsenal.com and their official app with a subscription.
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