Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has prioritised the signing of a creative midfielder in January
In a squad bereft of the likes of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, owing to injury issues, Tottenham Hotspur have naturally struggled with creativity and flair to unlock the opposition defences.
Spurs missed out on several attacking talents in the past summer transfer window. They were interested in signing Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers as they searched for an ideal long-term replacement for Maddison. A move did not transpire, while arch-rivals Arsenal stole Eberechi Eze under Tottenham’s noses. Morgan Gibbs-White was interested in joining Thomas Frank’s side in the summer, but Nottingham Forest blocked a move.
This led to the Lilywhites bringing in highly-rated Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig in the final week of the transfer window to complement fellow summer signing Mohammed Kudus in the attacking third. Kudus has been the club’s standout attacker, influencing Tottenham’s play with his vision, flair and dribbling. Simons, on the contrary, has not made an immediate impact, failing to live up to the lofty expectations of the fans.
Tottenham eyeing a creative midfielder in January
Thomas Frank wants to build on last season’s Europa League success and is keen for Tottenham to bring in top-quality reinforcements when the window reopens. A new No.9 would be a welcome addition in the winter window, and Frank has reportedly held talks with Al Ahli star Ivan Toney over a possible return to the Premier League.
In addition, Football Insider reports the Lilywhites have made it a priority to sign a No.10 in the winter window. Several big names such as Takefusa Kubo of Real Sociedad and Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman are on Tottenham’s radar.
Frank is ideally eyeing a creative presence who can impact games centrally, something he expected Xavi would do upon his arrival from the Bundesliga. But so far, Xavi has struggled to get up to the speed and physicality of the Premier League, leaving Kudus to handle the creativity responsibility all alone.
Another creative outlet is desperately needed, as Kulusevski is yet to return from a long-term injury. The Sweden international would be a solid option to operate as a No.10 in Frank’s 4-2-3-1 system, but given he’s been out for so long, the north Londoners require someone to come in and make the position his own.
It is difficult to find someone of that ilk from the Premier League, considering how difficult it is to convince rivals into selling their prized assets midway through the campaign. This could force the Europa League champions to raid foreign markets for a creative player capable of slotting in seamlessly in Frank’s tactics and system. That said, it’d interested to see if the Hotspur Way chiefs go for one of Kubo or Lookman to solve their conundrum in attack.