Tottenham Hotspur have only brought in one new midfielder to boost a unit that was among the worst in the Premier League last season, certainly by the comparative standard of the other Big Six clubs in England. Loan acquisiton Joao Palhinha showed against PSG that he has what it takes to be an asset to Spurs, which isn't entirely surprising since he was one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League while at Fulham.
Palhinha, though, isn't a long-term solution and is probably going to head back to Bayern Munich after his loan is done instead of being bought permanently; he is past the age of 30. Tottenham added two young midfielders in Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray last summer, but they still need another young, emerging anchor who is, unlike Gray, ready to star in the Premier League right here and right now.
As Tottenham pursue a new attacking midfielder in the aftermath of James Maddison's ACL tear and zero in on London hero Eberechi Eze over at Crystal Palace, there is also one eye being kept on Palace's defensive midfield star Adam Wharton, who is the dreamiest of the dream targets at the 6 position for the Spurs faithful.
The problem is that Crystal Palace are going to drive an even harder bargain than the 68 million pound release clause for Eze, and they haven't even been seriously listening to transfer bids for Wharton this summer.
Real Madrid want more midfield control, just like Tottenham
Wharton could become available next year, but Tottenham already have to prepare for a storm of competitors. According to a new report from the Daily Mail's Simon Jones, Real Madrid are now watching the 21-year-old England international closely and have even been scouting him in person on multiple occasions.
Real Madrid have Aurelien Tchouameni as a midfield anchor and could be moving Arda Guler into a deeper role after Carlo Ancelotti's successful experimentation last season, but Wharton could be a real asset to them, too, since they struggled to control games last season in their first campaign without Toni Kroos. Wharton isn't really comparable to Kroos, but he is great at controlling games and creating from deep with smart and composed passing.
Tottenham have historically failed to sign players when they are targeted hard by elite European clubs - look no further than Desire Doue's move to PSG last summer. Spurs can't get scared of Real Madrid wanting Wharton, though, and when it comes to players in London, Spurs do have a level of pull that even the mighty Madrid may find it tough to contend with; it's just that Spurs, you know, actually need to try.