Tottenham Hotspur have made so many signings over the years that just don't move the needle or materially help the squad at all, and despite Spurs finally making a couple of moves in the right direction with Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons last summer transfer window, most of the transfers they make are still falling in the column of being non factors.
One of those disappointing moves was made recently in bringing in Conor Gallagher to a bloated transfer fee and wages. And they could yet bring on Marcos Senesi and Andrew Robertson in as free agents this summer if they stay up in the Premier League, overpaying two more players who are either past their primes or about to be.
Now, Patrick Berger of Sky Sports Germany is reporting that Tottenham Hotspur are one of a about a handful of Premier League clubs who have been actively scouting Southampton star Leo Scienza over the past few games in preparation for targeting him as a potential signing in the summer 2026 transfer window.
Tottenham need to keep aiming higher
Scienza has been a very good player since arriving at Southampton with 7 goals and 10 assists in the EFL Championship, and Spurs have had a pretty good track record of signing players from the Saints. But unlike those players from the past, Scienza is not a high upside young player; he is a 27 year old attacking midfielder who is not better than any of the five players who could feasibly play at the 10 - Xavi Simons, James Maddison, Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski, and, yes, even Conor Gallagher.
While Scienza was awesome for the worst team in the Bundesliga, FC Heidenheim, and has been similarly important to the worst team in the Premier League from the previous season, Leo Scienza is the exact kind of player who isn't going to help Tottenham compete with the other clubs in the Premier League Big Six.
They would just laugh at Johan Lange and Vinai Venkatesham even more if their response to getting swept by Chelsea and Arsenal this season is to land a player who is 27 and very good but certainly not elite in the Championship, which was the exact same case in the Bundesliga. Scienza is one of those underrated gems who is fun to watch and a bit of a cult hero vibe player, but that does not at all make him a Tottenham level signing.