Tottenham Hotspur were linked with a host of players during the winter transfer window but they only signed one player- Lucas Moura from Paris Saint-Germain.
However, Mauricio Pochettino seems to have started planning for next season and has chalked out which players are to be pursued in summer. Poch may not be getting whatever he wants but certainly must have a short list of targets worth trying after the end of the season.
The Evening Standard has provided a list of summer targets for Spurs with some juicy names dominating it.
One of the names is Ryan Sessegnon – Fulham’s wonder kid. Sessegnon has been earning rave reviews for his performances for the Cottagers this season. A left-back by trade but also capable of playing further up the field, the 17-year-old was widely tipped to make a move to Spurs in January but nothing materialised.
Fulham were successful in keeping their teenage star but should be ready to tackle Spurs in the summer as Pochettino could go all out to sign the player.
The report also adds that Spurs are eyeing a replacement for Mousa Dembele. Dembele’s form this season has been hampered by recurrent injury problems and Pochettino wants to bring Norwich City’s James Maddison to replace the Belgian.
Maddison has been truly fantastic for the Canaries this campaign and given that he is so young, the player’s value becomes a little bit higher.
Poch has created a reputation of buying young talents or promoting academy kids and grooming them. So if he is eyeing Maddison, then there could some substance in the story.
It would be no surprise to see Fernando Llorente leave in the summer, having only signed for Spurs at the start of the campaign from Swansea. The Spaniard was brought in as a backup for Harry Kane but he has failed to live up to his standards so far, scoring only twice in 23 appearances.
Just like Llorente, Danny Rose could also be shipped out of the club. The left-back had problems with Poch and the club, with Manchester United widely linked with a January move. However, Luke Shaw’s form improved as he got games under his belt and the speculation surrounding Rose since cooled down.
Another player to leave the North Londoners could be Erik Lamela following the acquisition of Moura.
While these are some of the possible ins and outs in the summer, the biggest news out of them come from Spain.
As per Don Balon, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is ready to let Luka Modric leave the club for Tottenham in a swap deal, with Harry Kane moving in the other direction.
However, given Kane is involved in this swap deal, it is highly unlikely to take place as Pochettino won’t let his star man leave the club.
