Daniel Levy is seemingly not done with his flurry of transfers at Tottenham.
The Spurs chairman has made a complete u-turn this summer and has gone the extra mile to support Thomas Frank after years of criticism for being too passive in the transfer market.
Levy has already signed four players and is on the verge of signing a fifth in Morgan Gibbs-White, for whom he deviated even further from his norm by triggering a release clause.
With Tottenham set to secure significant investment, more new faces are expected to arrive at Hotspur Way, with the latest target lauded by the club’s record goalscorer.
Tottenham step up interest in João Palhinha
Levy’s step up in transfer dealings over the last week has been in part to guarantee Frank has most of the new signings in place before Tottenham’s pre-season friendly against Reading, 19 July.
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The Dane has focused his energy on securing attacking players, but is now keen to address Spurs’ defensive issues, which saw the Lilywhites concede 65 goals in the Premier League last season.
Tottenham have sought to add a full-back and have already brought in Kōta Takai and Kevin Danso on a permanent deal.
However, they have yet to address their porous midfield and are stepping up their pursuit of João Palhinha from Bayern Munich, as reported by CaughtOffside (13 July).
The 30-year-old has struggled to lock down a starting position in Vincent Kompany’s side and is open to a move back to the Premier League.
The Portugal international could be available for as little as £26million this summer, but Spurs will face competition from Manchester United, who are also interested in the former Fulham man.
Spurs record goalscorer, Harry Kane, is a massive fan of his current teammate, previously calling him an “animal” in defensive midfield, and added that he is a “fantastic” player.
Frank could employ double pivot to help Spurs
Part of Tottenham’s problems in midfield last season was that players like Rodrigo Bentancur were shoehorned into an unfamiliar position at the base of the midfield in an ambitious formation.
The Uruguayan struggled with the responsibility, as did almost every player who took on that role.
However, Frank rarely used one holding midfielder during his time at Brentford, and could look to employ a double pivot instead.
As seen in the latter stages of the UEFA Europa League last season, both Bentancur and Yves Bissouma massively benefited from playing next to each other, as showcased by the final against United.
They admirably shielded the defence together, and took it in turns to progress the ball, which could see Frank improve the team by reverting to this formation, even without signing Palhinha.