Tottenham’s big rebuild: keep £250m Harry Kane and bring in Callum Wilson or Paulo Dybala
Spurs eye Tonali and Pereira but Real Madrid target Eriksen and Pochettino
Humiliation at Colchester in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday was the latest in a series of setbacks for Tottenham Hotspur.
Last season’s Champions League finalists are lying seventh in the Premier League and are now out of one of the domestic cup competitions.
Manager Maurico Pochettino has promised to splash the cash in the new year in a desperate bid to resurrect the club’s campaign, and that’s led to fevered speculation as to who might be targeted.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Up front
The Daily Express believes that Spurs will make a move for Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson because “he would fit into the Tottenham mould perfectly”.
He was linked to them in the summer and with Harry Kane cutting an increasingly forlorn figure up front, the Express says the arrival of Wilson would “finally take the pressure off his shoulders”.
But talkSPORT says that it’s more likely Spurs will go for Juventus marksman Paulo Dybala. The broadcaster notes that they were close to signing the 25-year-old last month but “were unable to sort out the finer details of a transfer”.
Pochettino is known to be an admirer of the Argentine international and he is expected to have another crack in January.
Football.London agrees, saying that Dybala is likely to seek fresh pastures if “he continues to struggle to get into the Juventus team”.
Middle of the park
One area that urgently needs addressing is in central midfield with Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier struggling, and the Express says that Brescia’s Sandro Tonali is an option although they warn that the 19-year-old is also being tracked by Manchester United.
But talkSPORT adds that the tireless 20-year-old Portuguese wonderkid Florentino Luis is a better option.
Nicknamed “The Octopus” because of his “ability to recover the ball”, Luis would “cost a hefty fee” but is destined for greatness.
At the back
As for shoring up Tottenham’s brittle defence, the Express believes Pochettino should make a play for Leicester City full-back Ricardo Pereira.
Since arriving at the King Power Stadium from Porto in 2018, he’s become an accomplished attacking defender, although he’s likely to cost around £40m.
TalkSPORT, on the other hand, says that Dayot Upamecano of RB Leipzig would be a good buy as a centre-back.
With Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen on the wane, and Davinson Sanchez increasingly gaffe-prone, the gifted Upamecano is “very much the real deal at just 20-years-old”.
Real raid?
But will Pochettino still be at Spurs in January? According to the Daily Mirror Real Madrid are planning a double swoop on the north London outfit, first for Christian Eriksen and they are “then ready to follow up with a move for Mauricio Pochettino”.
Danish midfielder Eriksen is apparently set to sign a pre-contract deal with the Spanish giants in January prior to joining on a free transfer in June.
As for Poch, Real are ready to ditch Zinedine Zidane and the Spurs boss is their “No.1 target” to replace the fallen French idol.
Kane contract
One player the club will pull out all the stops to keep is Harry Kane, The Daily Telegraph reports, with the paper saying that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is preparing to “slap a huge £250m valuation on the striker”.
The England captain has spoken of his desire to win silverware and if that doesn’t happen this season the fear at Spurs is that he could be lured to the likes of Barcelona or Manchester City.
Today’s back pages
Real Madrid will target Eriksen then Pochettino
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The clown car cabinet
Opinion Even 'Little Marco' towers above his fellow nominees
By Mark Gimein Published
-
Ed Park's 6 favorite works about self reflection and human connection
Feature The Pulitzer Prize finalist recommends works by Jason Rekulak, Gillian Linden, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 fantastic homes in Columbus, Ohio
Feature Featuring a 1915 redbrick Victorian in German Village and a modern farmhouse in Woodland Park
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Premier League's spending cap: levelling the playing field?
Talking Point Top clubs oppose plans to link spending to income of lowest-earning club, but rule could prevent success gap from widening
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is a new English football regulator an own goal for the game?
Talking Point PM hails 'historic moment for football fans' but West Ham owner warns it could 'ruin' Premier League
By The Week UK Published
-
2023-2024 Premier League predictions: champions, relegation and golden boot
feature A look at the top flight talking points and pundit picks for the new season
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man City: can ‘one of the best sides in history’ win the treble?
feature Guardiola’s Premier League champions have two more trophies in their sights
By The Week Staff Published
-
Premier League: Man City vs. Arsenal predictions
feature What the pundits say about tonight’s title race showdown at the Etihad
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Antonio Conte leaves Tottenham after ‘extraordinary’ rant at players
feature After another year without a trophy, Spurs are now searching for a new manager
By The Week Staff Published
-
Liverpool 7 Man Utd 0: ‘welcome to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool 2.0’
feature Anfield’s ‘new front three’ were on fire in the humbling of their bitter rivals
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man City’s financial charges: what next for the Premier League champions?
feature The club is alleged to have breached financial rules around 100 times over a nine-year period
By Mike Starling Published