With Tottenham Hotspur in the midst of a significant shift to inject more funds into improving the first-team squad after Daniel Levy’s exit, TEAMtalk has identified three of their top targets that need to be signed in January, as well as a trio of players who need to be offloaded.
Major funds are expected to be at the disposal of Thomas Frank to improve his squad further, after a summer in which they missed on to top targets but still managed to bring in the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Joao Palhinha, Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani.
While Palhinha and Kolo Muani only arrived on loan, there is every expectation that the former will seal a permanent £27million deal next summer. However, there was no option or obligation to bring in the PSG forward, which will likely leave a gap to fill come 2026.
A new striker will not be the focus for January, though, after Tottenham still left a few of holes that clearly needed filling over the summer – leading to TEAMtalk picking out the players best served to fill them.
And while Frank does need more strength in depth going forward, there are also Spurs players who will be deemed surplus to requirements come the new year – but we’ll look at that later.
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Three to sign for Tottenham
Nathan Ake
Current club: Man City
Position: Centre-back/left-back
Age: 30
Likely cost: £15-20m
Having been linked with the Netherlands international late in the window, when they were also still in the market for Etihad attacker Savinho, Ake fits the exact profile of the player Tottenham have to be looking to sign for Frank.
His ability to cover both centrally and at full-back is priceless, especially with the contract of long-serving Spurs star Ben Davies coming to an end next summer.
Ake has been a serial winner at City and Tottenham are crying out for more players with that kind of mindset, as they look to build on their Europa League win last season.
Much will obviously depend on how much game time Ake gets at City over the next few months, but if that is limited then Spurs transfer chiefs have to strike.
Conor Gallagher
Current club: Atletico Madrid
Position: Midfielder
Age: 25
Likely cost: £40-45m
While this one might not be all that popular with some Tottenham fans, just think of the improvements Gallagher would have made to his game playing under one of the top coaches in European football, Diego Simeone, since he moved to the Spanish capital.
The England midfielder is exactly the type of all-energy No.8 that Spurs are crying out for, especially all the while hugely talented teenager Lucas Bergvall continues to develop his game.
What was hugely evident in the home loss to Bournemouth before the international break was how out-worked Frank’s engine room was, with the Cherries midfield running all over Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Sarr.
Indeed, Tottenham don’t really have a box-to-box midfielder capable of hitting double figures in terms of goals, something Gallagher came close to doing during his season on loan at Crystal Palace in 2021/22.
His game has gone up a level since then, and he would be an incredibly shrewd signing at this stage of his career. In short, he’s just a Thomas Frank-style player.
Savinho
Current club: Man City
Position: Left winger
Age: 21
Likely cost: £70-80m
Tottenham made no secret of their interest in the Brazilian attacker over the summer, having seen at least two offers rebuffed by City for his services.
Frank is a huge fan of Savinho and sees him as the perfect man to replace club legend Son Heung-min wide on the left, despite his stats last season not really aligning with the quality of his overall play.
There is a growing feeling that City will buckle when it comes to the skilful forward, especially if Pep Guardiola is unable to give him the starts he craves.
Expect Spurs to return with a huge club-record offer in the new year, which could even go as high as £80m.
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Trio of Tottenham stars who need to leave
Ben Davies
Position: Left-back
Age: 32
Transfer value: £3.8 (as per Transfermarkt)
The longest-serving player in the current Tottenham squad, having signed in 2014, Davies’ versatility has been valued for a number of years.
However, with his contract due to expire in the summer of 2026, Spurs would be wise to cash in on a player who is two years Ake’s senior and fills that same central and left-sided cover role.
Davies is more suited to playing centrally now but is better in a back three than a two, as has shown to be the case over the last few seasons when he has filled in.
It’s time to thank the Welshman for his service and move on.
Brennan Johnson
Position: Winger
Age: 24
Transfer value: £35m (as per Transfermarkt)
Johnson will end up on the bench once Savinho comes through the door, and with Wilson Odobert and the returning Dejan Kulusevski as backup options out wide, not to mention Simons’ ability to also play on the left, now could be the time to cash in on the Wales international.
There is no arguing with Johnson‘s stats since he arrived in north London in a £47.5m switch from Nottingham Forest, particularly last season when he chalked up 18 goals and seven assists.
However, as many Tottenham observers are fully aware, he offers very little else to the team and often drifts through games delivering nothing to the party.
Yes, he would be a great addition coming off the bench when a goal is needed, but Tottenham are better off trying to cash in on the 24-year-old while he is approaching the peak of his powers.
Indeed, there is every chance that Postecoglou comes calling for a City Ground return when January rolls around, although Spurs will certainly be demanding more than that Transfermarkt valuation.
Mathys Tel
Position: Forward
Age: 20
Transfer value: £30m
Let’s be clear from the off, this is not a sale but a loan, in order for Tel to continue his development for the second half of the season.
Being left out of Spurs’ Champions League squad will have come as a crushing blow to the young French forward and it makes sense for Spurs to give him guaranteed game time elsewhere.
The proposed arrival of Savinho would leave him as third-choice on the left flank, also behind Odobert, while he will not get a look in through the middle either as Kolo Muani, Richarlison and Dominic Solanke all battle for the No.9 spot.
Tel remains a major talent, though, and one that Tottenham still need to look to try and develop, as they play the long game of his future.