Tottenham are in a three-way battle with Newcastle United and Aston Villa for the signing of Borussia Dortmund star Julian Brandt
Tottenham Hotspur did some smart transfer dealings during the summer window. They brought in Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus to address the creativity issue in the side.
Kudus has been Spurs’ best performer so far this season, bringing the guile and unpredictability that was missing in Tottenham’s attack last season. The Ghanaian international has established himself as one of the first names on the Thomas Frank’s teamsheet, displacing Brennan Johnson from the right flank.
While the late arrival of Xavi has eased some of the creative burden off Kudus’ shoulders, Thomas Frank still remains in the hunt for another creative player. This is perhaps down to the frustration of losing James Maddison for the majority of this campaign and Dejan Kulusevski unlikely to attain fitness until mid-December or beyond.
Tottenham to battle Newcastle United and Aston Villa for Borussia Dortmund star
Now, according to a report from CaughtOffside, Tottenham are in a three-way Premier League battle with Newcastle United and Aston Villa for the signing of Borussia Dortmund playmaker Julian Brandt. Spurs are considering a January swoop for the 29-year-old in the wake of Maddison’s long-term injury.
Julian Brandt has been a great servant for Borussia Dortmund since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in 2019, racking up 47 goals and 66 assists in 271 appearances to date. The Germany international, however, lost his guaranteed starting role last season and has struggled for consistency since the start of the 2025/26 campaign, putting his long-term future at Signal Iduna Park in doubt. Additionally, the creative midfielder’s contract expires at the end of the season, meaning he will be eligible to strike pre-contract agreement with a foreign club from January.
This has alerted both Newcastle United and Aston Villa, with both English clubs keen to strengthen their squads in the mid-season trading period after a slow start to the new campaign. The Dortmund star’s potential availability at a cut-price fee makes him an appealing target for Newcastle and Villa, the aforementioned report adds.
Brandt could be a stop-gap solution to Tottenham’s problem
Brandt has proven himself in the Bundesliga and Champions League, and as he is into the final 11 months of his contract at Dortmund, he could be tempted to test himself in the Premier League. A move to either Tottenham, Newcastle or Villa would excite him, given how the Premier League trio have developed and become a strong presence in Europe in the last few years.
From Tottenham’s perspective, Brandt would be a strong addition to Frank’s roster. Despite enduring an up-and-down last season, the German ended up with six goals and 16 assists in 50 games. The ex-Bayer Leverkusen man is capable of operating in the No.10 role as well as a winger, adding creativity, goals and volumes of European experience to the Lilywhites’ side.
There is no doubt that he has the technical attributes to do well in the Premier League and become an important player for Frank. At 29, Brandt is not a spring chicken and would provide a temporary fix to Tottenham’s creativity issues. Yet, as he could be available for a bargain fee in January as Dortmund would not want to lose him on a free transfer next summer, we must do our best to land Brandt.
