The transfer would be worth £80m including a former Aston Villa man
Thomas Frank’s start to life at Tottenham Hotspur has been inauspicious at best, having suffered several key losses and only made two new first-team permanent signings, but a former Premier League star who Juventus are keen to sell for €40 million (£35m) could help turn things around.
After missing out on Morgan Gibbs-White, Frank’s transformation at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hit another roadblock when James Maddison was stretchered off with a serious knee injury, highlighting the shallow depth that remains in a squad that will need to fight on four fronts this season.
Meanwhile club legend Son Heung-min has departed for Los Angeles FC, following fellow stalwart Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg out of the exit door.
To replenish the side, Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel’s loan moves were made permanent for a combined £51m, Mohammed Kudus became the club’s second biggest signing of all time and teenagers Luka Vuskovic (deal agreed in 2023), Max McFadden and Mason Melia join 20-year-old Kota Takai as long-term investments.
The loan signing of Joao Palhinha is certainly a masterstroke, an upgrade on Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur who let his side and himself down badly last season missing three weeks through injury but more damagingly 14 games through suspension including for allegedly racially abusing Son.
However, Tottenham’s midfield could do with further reinforcements especially after the loss of Maddison, to prevent another over-reliance on Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Pape Matar Sarr.
And with CaughtOffside reporting he’s up for grabs this summer, Juventus’ Douglas Luiz could be the perfect man to fill that void - and get revenge on Nottingham Forest for the Gibbs-White saga in the process - in a swap plus cash deal involving Richarlison.
Luiz the missing piece in Frank’s midfield
Initially a more defensive-minded player, Luiz was transformed under Unai Emery in the Spaniard’s first full season at Villa Park - notching more goal contributions than he’d managed in his three previous seasons combined - and it’s that all-round game that could be the perfect match for Tottenham.
Palhinha is a force of nature out of possession - he famously notched the most tackles in the Premier League for two seasons running - but the move to Bayern Munich exposed his shortcomings higher up the pitch
Forced to spend more of his time in the opposition half than his own under Vincent Kompany, Palhinha struggled with the increased play-making responsibility having never been a premier passer of the ball, and his advanced position made it much easier for teams to take him out of the game with the first pass of a counter attack, nullifying his fearsome defensive ability.
Meanwhile Luiz has the passing range to better kick-start moves after Palhinha’s done his thing - his heat map pre and post-Emery showed he played the majority of his football around 30 yards closer to the opposition goal - and the all-court nature of his game will suit the ultimate pragmatist in the dugout.
While part of Frank’s remit at Tottenham will be to develop his younger midfield options, there will be plenty of opportunities across a lengthy Champions League campaign, Premier League and FA and League Cups even with Luiz.
Luiz isn’t short of suitors with Nottingham Forest in the hunt and Liverpool monitoring his situation (of course they are) but he’d be lower down the pecking order at Anfield while the Tricky Trees can’t offer the Champions League opportunities that Frank can.
Serie A move Richarlison
Despite falling short in their pursuit of Frank’s former charge Bryan Mbeumo, options remain for Tottenham up front including Antoine Semenyo and Eberechi Eze, and maverick Richarlison doesn’t seem to fit the mould of forward that the new manager is looking for.
Richarlison’s physicality has been found wanting at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with the Brazilian at times looking drained by the pace of the Premier League, while Serie A would appear a better fit as Juventus look to overhaul their attack following a rather dismal 2024/25 season that saw them go trophyless and finish fourth in the league.
Jonathan David could prove to be the bargain of the summer on a free transfer and Richarlison has the skill-set to dovetail well with the Canadian in the final third.
It remains to be seen whether Kenan Yildiz will remain in Turin this summer but Richarlison would benefit the squad with or without the 20-year-old and for all their struggles last season, Juventus are competing in the Champions League again this season, a factor which clearly means a lot to the Brazilian.
Earlier this year, GIVEMESPORT’s Ben Jacobs revealed Tottenham are willing to make a loss on the 28-year-old valuing him at £40m-£45m, so it’s plausible that Daniel Levy could swing Luiz and around £10m as a sweetener for Richarlison in a move that would be primed to work out for all parties.
Continue Reading