How a dramatic summer kickstarted the Frank era - but leaves a major question mark looming over the Champions League squad
Tottenham’s was a transfer window that veered between extremes – from the highs of Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus’ arrivals to the disappointments of missing out on Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White.
Yet it leaves Thomas Frank’s squad in a much better place than the start of the summer. Son Heung-min is the only regular starter from last year who made way and while Spurs have been far from prolific in the window, Frank was reluctant to add players unless they were likely to be part of his regular set-up.
The new boss was also clear he would not be overloading the squad to patch up injuries.
There was some talk of another centre-back coming in on deadline day, but Radu Dragusin is still on the books as he continues his recovery from an ACL tear, Kota Takai came in from Kawasaki Frontale and the club was confident enough in the squad’s depth to allow Luka Vuskovic to join Hamburg on loan.
In attack, Frank had the same conundrum. After the defeat to Bournemouth, he insisted adding a third striker to the squad “can also cause a problem”, even if there was a temptation given concerns over the severity of Dominic Solanke’s injury and Richarlison’s record.
Solanke’s ankle injury has flared up again (Photo: PA)
The real question mark is whether they have been left too light on the left-wing after Son’s exit, and at left-back, with Destiny Udogie being edged back into action slowly and Djed Spence – by trade a right-back – having starred there under Frank. Micky van de Ven and Ben Davies are the other options.
The first three games of the season exposed an urgent need for a No 10 to replace the injured James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski – Eze would have fitted the mould perfectly before Arsenal hijacked the deal.
So the decision to sign Randal Kolo Muani on loan from PSG, in essence, was an attempt to kill two birds with one stone, with the France international able to play on either wing or in the middle of the front three. It is understood there is no option to buy Muani included in his terms, so it may not be a permanent solution but one that addresses a pressing need.
The same goes for Joao Palhinha, who is also on loan from Bayern Munich. In an inflated market Spurs were keen to explore loan possibilities rather than paying over the odds, and the Palhinha deal does include an option to buy if he continues to impress.
Palhinha’s deal contains an option to buy (Photo: Reuters)
There is quiet satisfaction at the two headline deals of the summer, Simons and Kudus, which both represent excellent business. Kudus was prised from West Ham for £55m (significantly less than his £85m release clause) and Simons was on the verge of signing for Chelsea when Spurs made their move.
It was a late twist not dissimilar to Eze, but Frank has been vocal about only wanting players who want to be there. On that front, there are a few fringe players who did not quite get out the door.
Yves Bissouma’s move to Galatasaray fell through, but it is still possible he leaves this summer – Turkey is one of the windows that stays open later than the Premier League’s.
Frank’s first move was to drop Bissouma for lateness and he has since been absent through injury, so it is increasingly difficult to see a long-term future for him in north London.
As for Manor Solomon, he was initially offered an olive branch having impressed Frank in pre-season, but Spurs did entertain interest from Crystal Palace, who then decided against paying up. Instead, the Israel international joined Villarreal at the very last knockings. Bryan Gil also left for Spain after Girona finally agreed to pay a fee in the region of £8m.
Some of Spurs’ business had effectively already been done before the summer, which explains why they were slightly less active than some might have expected given last season’ turbulence.
Vuskovic was already signed but had to wait until his 18th birthday to move to the UK due to post-Brexit regulations, and Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel’s moves were made permanent. The former was always going to happen, while Tel’s future had been up in the air until Bayern Munich agreed to lower the fee.
The main task facing Frank now is to whittle down his squad for the Champions League, as there are 21 non-locally trained players in the group, with a maximum of 17 allowed by Uefa. That could be helped by leaving out long-term injured players and offloading a few more overseas – but the squad certainly looks readier to dine at Europe’s top table now.