Tottenham Hotspur unsuccessfully enquired about Juventus midfielder Khephren Thuram in the summer transfer window
Tottenham Hotspur fans have plenty of positives to take with the way their season has started under Thomas Frank. The Lilywhites are unbeaten in their last seven matches across all competitions and currently sit third in the Premier League table, but it is clear that there remains room for improvement.
At the heart of Tottenham’s strong start to the campaign lies the performances of midfielders such as Joao Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall. Palhinha and Bentancur have shown signs of forming a strong understanding in the double pivot, offering cover to the backline and license to Bergvall to flourish in an advanced No.10 role. The trio’s partnership have stopped Spurs’ midfield from getting overrun and outsmarted by the opponents thus far.
This shows that Thomas Frank has managed to address the problems in midfield that the north Londoners faced last season under Ange Postecoglou. But for Frank and Co. to seriously push for a top-four finish in the Premier League and challenge for trophies, adding more depth to the midfield is an absolute must in January.
Tottenham’s approach for Khephren Thuram was rebuffed in the summer
It looks like Tottenham wanted to sign another midfielder after Palhinha’s loan acquisition from Bayern Munich. There were heavy rumours of Yves Bissouma departing Spurs for Turkish giants Fenerbahce in the summer, only for a deal to collapse due to the midfielder’s knee injury. In the wake of Bissouma’s departure, the north Londoners perhaps had enquired about a Serie A midfielder as a potential replacement for the Mali international.
According to TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey, Tottenham were among several European clubs who approached Juventus for Khephren Thuram. Juventus rebuffed a host of enquiries for the midfielder, considering him ‘untouchable’.
The likes of Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool were amongst the clubs who had asked about the availability of the Frenchman, but the Turin giants told all of them to move on quickly. Khephren Thuram has been fantastic since joining Juventus from OGC Nice in the summer of 2024 and has also broken into Didier Deschamps’ France squad. He went on to make 51 appearances in all competitions in his debut season for Juventus, scoring five goals.
“Thuram is one of those players that Premier League clubs had the chance to land before Juve took him from Nice,” Graeme Bailey exclusively told TBR Football.
“Juve took that chance and have been rewarded, Thuram’s form since arriving in Italy has been spectacular – he was not even in the France squad, let alone pushing for a starting spot, he has really kicked on.
“Now, along with Yildiz, Comolli believes he has something special, and he is getting calls – we know that, but they have no interest in letting either of these two go, they are both deemed as ‘untouchable’ by Juve at this point.”
Tottenham must recruit a midfielder in January
Thuram has started the new season well under Igor Tudor, registering a goal and an assist apiece in seven games in all competitions. He is a key player for Juventus, and new general manager, Damien Comolli, has grand plans for the midfielder, aiming to tie him down to a new long-term contract.
That being said, Tottenham must look out for alternative targets to improve their midfield unit in January. Rangers’ Nico Raskin has been added to their midfield shortlist, and the Belgian has a price tag in the region of £20-25m. Frank is keen on adding a player to his engine room as he is seemingly not entirely convinced with the current options and depth, and Raskin would be a smart addition to the Tottenham roster in January.
