Tottenham Hotspur are looking to improve on a challenging first half of the season
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Head coach Thomas Frank will be hoping to see improvement at Tottenham Hotspur following a mixed start to his first season as Lilywhites boss.
The Dane arrived from Brentford with high expectations in the summer and was tasked with leading the Europa League winners back into the upper echelons of the Premier League following last season’s 17th-place finish under Ange Postecoglou.
Spurs started the season positively but have seen their form drop in recent months, leaving Frank’s side down in 14th position at present and eight points off the top four. While the table remains tight, it would take a significant run of form to surpass the traffic of sides separating the north London outfit and Liverpool in fourth.
Spurs were given a significant boost on Monday, amidst reports that a £35million deal has been agreed with Atletico Madrid for Conor Gallagher, which would represent a massive Aston Villa hijack after the West Midlands club had been widely reported to be interested in a deal for the former Chelsea midfielder. Gallagher has since been reported to be undergoing a medical in north London.
Tottenham in transfer race for highly-rated Serie A defender
According to reports by Caught Offside, Spurs are targeting their next January purchase in the shape of Sassuolo star Tarik Muharemovic, who is one of the most sought-after defenders in the winter window.
The likes of Manchester United, Newcastle, Inter Milan and former club Juventus are all believed to be interested in a move, while RB Leipzig have ‘prepared a bid’ of €25m (£21m) plus bonuses according to the report. Spurs are amongst those ‘monitoring’ the 22-year-old, who only joined Sassuolo from Juventus’ Next Gen squad for around €3m last summer and has proven one of the bargains of the season in Serie A.
Juventus have a reported 50% sell-on clause for the Bosnian, which ‘complicates’ negotiations - ‘particularly’ involving other Italian clubs. Sassuolo are reluctant to sell in January and CEO Giovanni Carnevali has stated that the club’s valuation will depend on which clubs come forward for a move, though he claims that “there have been contacts but no official offers yet.”
Muharemovic would elevate Spurs’ options at the back
While Spurs currently have cover in defence, they will be more than aware that an injury crisis can hit at any point and would be smart to secure a long-term target now so to be prepared for any departures.
Radu Dragusin recently returned from an ACL injury and remains linked with a move to Roma or Napoli, despite previous reports that Spurs had rejected a loan offer from the former for the Romania international.
Cristian Romero was heavily linked with Atletico Madrid last summer and Micky van de Ven remains a reported long-term target for the likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool, meaning Muharemovic could prove an astute signing to provide competition at the back.
The 22-year-old previously represented Wolfsberger AC in the Austrian Bundesliga, moving to Juventus in 2021 where he featured for their reserve side in Serie C. The 10-cap Bosnia and Herzegovina international signed for Sassuolo permanently last summer after making 30 appearances for the club on loan in 2024/25 as they were promoted from Serie B, and is now linked with a big next step in his career.