Tottenham Hotspur have spent almost £250m on new players this summer, but they're yet to sign a winger or a striker
Tottenham Hotspur have plenty of work to do before the transfer window slams shut at the start of next month. Johan Lange has managed to significantly bolster Roberto De Zerbi's squad this summer, forking out £237million on a selection of top Premier League-proven players, but he's yet to get his hands on a winger or a striker.
Speaking to reporters earlier this week, the Lilywhites head coach piled the pressure on his sporting director to strengthen his attacking options. Eager to squeeze every last penny out of the board, De Zerbi claimed he has every right to demand that Spurs sign top players.
"I like to think I deserve to stay here and deserve to want the top players, because now Tottenham deserves to build up a top team," said the Italian. "Because the words… they are not clear, but the facts are clear on the table.
"Now we have to bring in top players to become competitive; I don’t know if to win, but for sure to be better than the last two seasons’ results in the Premier League. I consider the trophy the end of the journey.
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"I can’t manage the end of the journey; I can manage the journey from the beginning until the end. And now is not the moment to think of the trophy. The trophy arrives if you, in this journey, have worked well, have been your best version, and the players have been able to play in the best way they can."
If De Zerbi is to lead Tottenham to glory and get his hands on a piece of silverware this season, Lange needs to sign three forwards who are established at the very highest level. So, with that being said, football.london has looked at what the Spurs sporting director needs to do before the transfer window slams shut at 11pm on Tuesday, September 1.
Tottenham upgrade frontline
In an ideal world, Lange finally manages to sign Savinho from Manchester City and prises Cody Gakpo from Liverpool. With Xavi Simons, who's still nursing an injury, Mathys Tel, and Mohammed Kudus already at De Zerbi's disposal, Tottenham would have five very good wide players.
Not to mention Luca Williams-Barnett, who has proven, so far, in pre-season that he's more than capable of making the step up. Until Simons returns to action, De Zerbi could make good use of the Spurs wonderkid and nurture him into a reliable option.
Up top, the Lilywhites should break the bank for Victor Osimhen. Although Dominic Solanke would be more than capable of leading the frontline, the Galatasaray striker would take Tottenham to the next level.
Romero leads Tottenham fire sale
Cristian Romeo should be the first of five sales before the transfer window slams shut. Although Tottenham will want to recuperate as much as they can for the 28-year-old defender, the saga just needs to come to an end.
The Lilywhites have made great progress, on and off the pitch, this summer, and it mustn't be overshadowed by a wantaway player. Spurs should also cash in on Richarlison, who's recently entered the final year of his contract.
Meanwhile, Lange needs to ensure that Souza, Dane Scarlett, and Mikey Moore, in particular, find hospitable loan spells.
To be loaned: Kota Takai, Souza, Dane Scarlett, Mikey Moore, Yang Min-Hyeok.
To be sold: Cristian Romero, Richarlison, Pape Matar Sarr, Radu Dragusin, Manor Soloman.
De Zerbi trims bloated squad
On paper, players like Dejan Kulusevski, who's recovering from a long-term injury, Wilson Odobert, who's still on the sidelines, and Ben Davies, could be left in the dark this season. But fortunately for them, Premier League rules state that under-21 players born on or after 1 January 2004 are not included in submitted squad lists but are still eligible to play in the English top flight.
That said, at the end of the transfer window, the Tottenham 25-man squad should look something a little like this:
Goalkeepers
Antonin Kinsky, Martin Dubravka, Brandon Austin.
Defenders
Andrew Robertson, Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marco Senesi, Kevin Danso, Pedro Porro, Djed Spence, Ben Davies.
Midfielders
Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Archie Gray (U21 list), Conor Gallagher, Lucas Bergvall (U21 list), James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur.
Wingers
Mohammed Kudus, Savinho (from Manchester City), Cody Gakpo (from Liverpool), Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski.
Strikers