Tottenham Hotspur’s hunt for a new number ten this summer has certainly been a frustrating one - with the hierarchy unable to land a talent to back Thomas Frank during his first year at the helm.
Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze are just two players who have been on their radar this window, but neither player will be making the move to North London before Monday’s deadline.
The former has penned a new three-year deal at Nottingham Forest, whilst the latter completed a £67.5m move to join bitter rivals and boyhood club, Arsenal.
To make matters worse for the new boss, current number ten options James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski will be missing until at least 2026, with the duo suffering injury setbacks in recent weeks.
With just a number of days left in the transfer window, the hierarchy must work tirelessly to land a top-level option to help the Dane in his quest for Premier League success in 2025/26.
Spurs’ hunt for a new number ten this summer
Nico Paz emerged as a potential option for Spurs over the last couple of weeks, leading to the Lilywhites hierarchy making a €70m (£61m) offer to Como for the 20-year-old.
However, their bid for the Argentine was dismissed by the Serie A outfit, claiming he’s not for sale this summer, which has seen Frank’s men move on to different targets ahead of Monday’s deadline.
Numerous players have been considered, but it appears as though the club have made a beeline to land RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons, according to Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg.
He claims that Spurs have recently made an offer for the Dutchman, totalling £61m including add-ons, looking to hijack his potential move to fellow Premier League side, Chelsea.
Plettenberg also stated that it is 'seen as a matter of time' before an agreement is reached, leaving the decision down to the player as to where he wants to play in 2025/26 and beyond.
Why Spurs’ latest target would be Frank’s own Eriksen
Back in the summer of 2013, Spurs forked out a fee in the region of £11m to land attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen from Ajax - arriving at the club as an unknown quantity to many fans.
However, a deal for the Dane will arguably go down as one of the best in their history, after he made over 300 appearances over a near seven-year spell in North London.
He racked up 69 goals and 82 assists, subsequently helping the Lilywhites reach the Champions League final back in the 2018/19 campaign under Mauricio Pochettino.
Eriksen, whilst mainly being a number ten by trade, could also feature off the left-hand side of the attack, which allowed him to become one of the most dangerous players in the Premier League.
Whilst he left the club just over five years ago, new boss Frank has the chance to land his own version of the fan-favourite, with a move for Simons in the next few days.
Both have experience playing in the Eredivisie, but it’s their respective playstyles that could see the Dutchman replicate the success of the Dane during his time in England.
The RB Leipzig star, who’s been dubbed “world-class” by former Spurs star Rafael van der Vaart, registered 11 goals and eight assists across all competitions last campaign - possessing that goalscoring and creative threat carried by Eriksen in the Premier League.
However, his underlying stats are just as impressive, further providing him with the opportunity of emulating Eriksen’s success with the Lilywhites.
He’s also managed to notch a total of 2.2 chances created per 90, along with 1.4 successful dribbles per 90 - highlighting the threat he poses with the ball at his feet, able to provide the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Richarlison the opportunity to build on their impressive starts this season.
The youngster’s talents don’t stop there, winning 75% of the tackles he’s entered and winning 5.7 duels per 90, showcasing his work rate and ability to regain possession for his side - something which is vital in Frank’s relentless pressing system.
Despite making a bid for the Dutchman’s signature, it remains unclear as to where the attacking midfielder will end up come Monday’s transfer deadline.
If he does join, it would be a phenomenal piece of business by the Lilywhites hierarchy, finally landing the player they’ve been hunting for all summer - handing Frank the new attacking threat he’s been craving since taking the reins.