It’s time for another instance of F***, Marry, Kill: Tottenham Hotspur. We here at Carty Free Towers love to stir up some drama, because the club definitely needs more drama around it, and I’m sure we’re all bored waiting for a new Spurs manager to be announced. FFS, Levy!
With that in mind, it’s time to get a little bit spicy with this next one, as we take a look at an area in need of much work: the midfield. For each, we’ll give you our thoughts as to why they should stay (Keep), head out on loan (Loan), or go (Sell - either via an actual sale, or conclusion of their contract); though there may also be a bacon sandwich that pops up here and there also.
As a reminder, we are only covering players that played minutes in senior football this season, either on loan, or at Spurs. This means there may be a couple of names missed off this list you might have expected to see, such as Tyrese Hall or Leo Black. There’s still plenty to cover though - we have our work cut out for us!
Editor’s note: this series and a couple of the pieces in it were nearly completed at time of writing, so we will still cover players whose future has already been confirmed (i.e. released players)
Yves Bissouma - Sell
Let’s start off with a bang, shall we? On his best days, Yves Bissouma is unplayable at the #6. He has a massive motor, the ability to beat players on the dribble, and at times a killer pass. The thing is... Yves is always liable to have one moment. You know the one. The brain explosion where he dribbles into a dead end with the rest of the team up the pitch. The mental lapse where he stops tracking an attacker into the box. The silly, unnecessary challenge to give away a set piece in a dangerous position. Basically, you never know what you’re going to get Yves Bissouma.
That’s a level of risk you just can’t carry at this level, and with two years now on his contract, it’s time to cash out. He hasn’t been able to consistently hit the heights of which we dreamed, and I’m sad about that. Maybe another side can find that consistency.
James Maddison - Keep
One of Spurs’ leadership group, and one of the few players in the squad with a high level of technical and passing ability, Maddison is a must-keep. Honestly, he was probably my player of the season! Though he has his issues with injury and he isn’t getting younger, he is potentially the only member of Spurs’ midfield cadre that would start for another top 6 side (well, let’s say top 5, because Manchester United are a train smash). If Spurs can retool effectively over the summer, you potentially look at a sale after next season.
Rodrigo Bentancur - Sell*
*If Spurs receive a decent offer, and if Spurs have a readymade depth signing ready to go at the #6
Now the takes get scorching. Rodrigo Bentancur only has two years left on his contract. He no longer has the engine to play a proper defensive midfield role following his ACL. He is not getting any younger. He has had a couple of documented, off-field “issues”. He has also started to round back into form following some rough moments earlier in the season.
This situation is made more complex by Spurs’ decision not to pursue Johnny Cardoso. With an affordable buy option, it seemed that Spurs could retool at the #6 by selling both Bentancur and Bissouma, signing Johnny as a cheap depth option with upside, and then investing in an elite #6. With Johnny seemingly now on his way to Madrid, that depth option is off the table - so do Spurs have another target that fits that bill?
Why not then just keep Bentancur, I hear you ask? Well, in this writer’s opinion, the biggest issue this past season was the midfield. Spurs struggled to progress through the middle of the park, killing the attack, while simultaneously doing a poor job of shielding the defense. Bentancur was a key part of those midfields. I lost count of the times this season when Bentancur was dragged out wide... only to not have the legs to push back in and cover the middle. Or turned around and passed it back to his center backs. Or... you get the idea.
The reality is this should have been sorted last summer, with a big signing at the #6 a priority. Instead, Johan Lange kicked the can down the road and the club is now faced with a difficult situation with both top defensive midfield options only having two years remaining on their contracts. Rodrigo Bentancur is who he is at this point, is only going to decline athletically, and his uptick in form was largely due to playing in a double pivot system as Spurs set up in a very defensive two banks of four (something I don’t see happening going forward) with very little in the way of offensive responsibility. If Spurs can turn him and Bissouma into a top #6 and a promising prospect with upside, they should.
Who knows, maybe he proves me wrong this season, as Thomas Frank could potentially take him up a level, and as all reports seem to indicate that Spurs will offer him a new contract. I don’t think they should.
Pape Matar Sarr - Keep
Time is on Pape Matar Sarr’s side, with plenty of years left on his contract, and the Senegalese midfielder still only 22. Though he hasn’t necessarily exploded as one may have hoped, he’s become a reliable squad utility that can be deployed in multiple positions in midfield. His positioning is excellent, and his defensive reads were phenomenal in the Europa League final. He may not ever make it to elite starter level, but even so, players like Sarr are gold in a squad full of mercurial players.
Lucas Bergvall - Keep
Lucas is going to be a star. I honestly just love watching him play, and there’s few players I could say that about in the Spurs squad. Though he’s not locked in starter level yet, he’s damn close, and if he can continue on this trajectory then the sky is the limit for the young Swede. There’s no need to write more - this one is just a no-brainer.
Alfie Devine - Keep*
*If he is willing to sign a new contract
Alfie Devine’s situation is somewhat intriguing. He will end up as a List A Club-trained player (though would qualify as List B this season), one of which Spurs have very few; he’s still only 20, even though it feels like he’s been around forever; and he’s been playing senior men’s football for two seasons now via loans. In fact, he’s been playing with Spurs-destined defender Luka Vuskovic at Westerlo in the Belgian first division this past season, where he had a pretty successful season in a middling team.
Though 6 goals and 1 assist from 32 appearances sounds modest for an attacking midfielder (because it is), he split his time between a #10 role and deeper positions - which is actually where I believe his future lies. Calm in possession and a fantastic facilitator of play, I’m intrigued to see how he goes this preseason, and I think he could be kept around for some limited minutes (if he can be convinced to sign a new contract, with his now only having two years left to run). If those minutes don’t come by easily, he can head out on loan in January; and if he’s not willing to sign a new contract, I think he would fetch a tidy fee.
Callum Olusesi - Keep
A really promising prospect who has spent time across all three positions in midfield, Olusesi made his senior debut earlier this season, late in Spurs’ 2-3 away win over Hoffenheim in the Europa League. Eagle-eyed supporters will have also seen him regularly named to the bench as midfield cover - pretty impressive for a 17-year-old (well, he was 17 until he was 18).
With a new four-year contract signed just two months ago, I’m honestly 50-50 as to whether Olusesi sticks around for another season to hone his craft at U21 level and as emergency cover for the senior squad. I think a close eye on his development and being around the first team could be more helpful right now than rolling the dice on a loan. One to watch!
George Abbott - Sell
Abott has just come off a pretty solid loan spell in League Two at Notts County; better than solid, in fact, with the 19-year-old cementing himself as part of The Magpies’ starting XI. Their campaign ended in agony, however, falling in the promotion playoffs to AFC Wimbledon.
The young defensive midfielder had a couple of eye-catching moments in his spell at Meadow Lane, but from what I’ve seen of him over the last couple of years, the lower tiers of the English football pyramid are probably where Abbott belongs: he appears not really great at any one skill but rather a physical all-action scrappy type. There’s two ways the academy can be a success: transitioning players to the first team, and moving players on for a profit. I think with two years left on his contract and after the season he has just had, Abbott can move on for a tidy sum, with more talented midfielders such as Tyrese Hall waiting in the wings.
Jamie Donley - Loan
Another of Spurs’ academy products who spent the season on loan, Donley had a fantastic spell at Leyton Orient, where he scored eight goals and assisted ten in 31 starts (2,800 minutes). That is a brilliant return for the 20-year-old, who is an extremely gifted striker of the football. His ability to curl a shot goalwards, lay a set piece on a dime, or thread a silky pass is impressive for his age.
What is less impressive is Donley’s athleticism. He is reasonably slow for a professional footballer, and at times can struggle to get involved in matches as quicker or just plain hard-working opposition can shut him down. Some have said they would like to keep him around this season as emergency cover; I think that is too risky at this point in his development, and a loan to the Championship would really push him in a positive manner, with competition against bigger and faster players a challenge to which the club will hope he rises.
Matthew Craig - Sell
The defensive midfielder’s time has run out at Spurs. With only a year left on his contract, 2024/25 was the time he really needed to make his mark... and he initially made a good run at it, with some early positive signs on his loan to Barnsley. By November, however, he was largely warming the bench, before being left out of the squad entirely. Spurs therefore recalled him and sent him on loan to another League One side, in the form of Mansfield Town... where he also barely played. He’s 22 now, and the reality is that League One is probably Craig’s level.
Well. Hopefully that one gets some discussion going. In this writer’s view, the midfield is in need of significant investment, with at least two signings needed, if not three - with at least one of those being a nailed-on starter. Spurs struggled on both sides of the ball this season, and unless they invest in players that provide a boost to technical ability, passing, and positioning, Spurs will continue to underperform, no matter the manager.
Check out our previous pieces here: