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Tottenham Hotspur right winger Dejan Kulusevski has been a key player for the club since joining from Juventus in 2022, but, recently, his inability to take intiative and change important games for Spurs has cast doubt on his long-term viability as a starting winger at the club.

Spurs are now interested in a right winger who could replace Kulusevski, as he is also capable of playing in the attacking midfield. According to a report from Le Parisien's Benjamin Quarez, Tottenham have made an approach for Lyon star Rayan Cherki and could sign the Ligue 1 superstar for just 22.5 million euros

Cherki is a phenomenal talent and was earmarked as the next big thing in French football by both Lyon and Real Madrid, whose manager Zinedine Zidane was enamored by the player as a potential signing in 2019. Real Madrid were seriously interested in him for years but never had the space to make a move official.

Rayan Cherki could change games for Tottenham

Lyon have played their cards right with Cherki, never rushing the young playmaker and working with him on his weaknesses. Now, they have the best playmaker in Ligue 1 both as a passer and dribbler. Cherki has scored eight goals with ten assists this season, averaging 2.4 key passes and 1.5 dribbles completed per game.

Compare that to seven goals and four assists on the season for Kulusevski with two key passes and 1.2 dribbles completed per game for the Swedish international. But Cherki does so much more that goes beyond the numbers in terms of his individual skill. He can create goals and opportunities from nothing with sheer invention, and anyone who watches him play can tell he has that something special that Spurs are still missing in attack.

Tottenham need difference-makers, and Cherki is one a few players in world football who fits that profile in terms of having that extra bit of magic in his boots. Kulusevski is a very good footballer, but he's more of a role player than a star. He's someone who helps keep a team afloat with solid ball progression and decent chance creation, but he doesn't have the skill or explosiveness to take games over. Cherki does.

At less than 25 million euros, Cherki is easily within the Tottenham transfer budget. If he even has any inclination of joining Spurs, Daniel Levy and Co. have to proceed with 100 percent force, even if it means Kulusevski is relegated to the bench on Cherki's arrival - or even outright transfer listed by his own request. Tottenham should have both players in the squad in an ideal world, but Kulu's presence future clearly shouldn't be what keeps Spurs from going hard after Cherki's talent.

Tottenham superstar Son Heung-min hasn't been playing like a superstar over the last few months, but, as the saying goes, form is temporary but class is permanent. And Son has been one of the classiest players at a world scale over the past decade, winning a Premier League Golden Boot and once carrying Tottenham to the finals of a Champions League.

Yet that still hasn't stopped Son from being passed over by pundits in favor of players not fit enough to lace his boots. Ahead of the Europa League Final between Tottenham and Manchester United on May 21, Man United legendary midfielder Paul Scholes picked a combined XI for the matchup when asked by TNT Sports.

And in it, Scholes picked Alejandro Garnacho over Son as his left winger. While a Manchester United icon picking a Manchester United young sensation isn't the strangest thing in the world, it's wild to see a pundit thinking Garnacho is in any way better than Son right now.

A bad Son Heung-min is still outproducing Alejandro Garnacho

Even at his worst, Son is outproducing Garnacho, who is talented but is one of the most infuriatingly inconsistent players in the Premier League. Son has seven goals and nine assists this season in a bad season, whereas Garnacho has six goals and a laughable two assists. And Son has played in fewer games than Garnacho!

Son wasn't the only Tottenham star to get the short end of the stick either. Scholes also put Diogo Dalot over Pedro Porro at right back when Porro is, by far, the superior player defensively and is also more consistent as a creator. Porro has more assists and more than double the number of key passes per game as Dalot with another substantial advantage in terms of fouls drawn per match.

Porro is better than Dalot in every respect as a right back, and you wouldn't find anyone else in the Premier League who would take Dalot. It's not as wild as a snub as taking the entirely unproven Garnacho over Premier League legend Son Heung-min, but it's also a huge mistake to pick Dalot over Porro when the latter's head-to-head numbers are emphatically better, particularly when it comes to creating chances and end product.

Tottenham's best players continue to be underrated within Premier League circles despite the fact that Spurs are a big and well-covered club. Perhaps that's the curse of being 17th in the Premier League right now, but, well, Manchester United haven't been much better either.

Tottenham have two of the better left backs in the Premier League in Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence, with the latter providing important cover for the former this season. But with Sergio Reguilon set to leave for good and Ben Davies a better fit at center back at his age, Spurs need some defensive-minded cover at the left back position.

Udogie was an inspired signing from Serie A a few years back in 2022 and has been a rousing success. He's good going both ways. Spence is a quality Premier League left back, too, but it could make sense for Spurs to pursue a more defensive option who is more reliable in big games than Spence against the kinds of top opponents Tottenham want to start beating.

According to a report from Eduardo Burgos of Diario AS, Tottenham have joined Atletico Madrid and Brighton as top clubs interested in signing Mathias Olivera from Serie A title contenders Napoli. The 27-year-old left back has affirmed himself as one of the best in the league and has taken over from Mario Rui. Signing him would set Spurs back 40 million euros.

Matias Olivera isn't worth the money for Tottenham

That's a high price to pay for Olivera, who would be more of a backup to Udogie and a defensive cover option. Tottenham have limited funs, as-is, and as good as Olivera is at the left back position - and he certainly deserves more praise than he gets around world football - it's hard seeing a player with his skill-set and age being worth that much money.

Tottenham have bigger needs elsewhere. Olivera isn't the worst option, but he seems to fit a club like Atletico Madrid better than Spurs anyway. This season, Olivera is averaging nearly three combined tackles and interceptions per game but just 0.2 dribbles completed and 0.8 key passes per game.

Clearly, with his limited attacking output, Olivera isn't going to be replacing Udogie any time soon, and he costs just as much as Udogie's own transfer valuation. Tottenham aren't necessarily barking up the wrong tree, though, and Napoli are notorious for trying to get way too much out of their players before ultimately losing them for a lot less. So maybe if Spurs stick it out, Olivera's price will drop by half and they can swoop in. That's a big if, and it's probably better for them to just keep things going with Udogie and Spence.

Tottenham need to go full force with a sporting project built around ascending young players, particulary since they have a number of homegrown players who are ready to contribute to the team in 2025/26 and potentially become the next big stars at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Though he was only given a proverbial cup of coffee this season, Tottenham attacker Mikey Moore was so impressive that he earned rave comparisons to Neymar. Obviously, those cries were outlandish and a bit ridiculous, but Moore did bring an electricity to Tottenham in the Europa League. Ange Postecoglou did well not to put too much on Moore's plate too soon, but he could take a big leap forward next year.

And if you have any lingering doubts about how talented Moore is and how he is regarded around Europe, look no further than the latest transfer suitor of his. Per a report from Sky Sports's Florian Plettenberg, via BVB Newsblog, Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund have Mikey Moore near the top of their wishlist of transfer targets this summer, joining the race with other Premier League clubs (though the English sides are reportedly ahead of BVB).

Mikey Moore could be European football's next big thing

Dortmund's interest in Moore is only mildly concerning, given other clubs are more favored. If anything, it's a ringing endorsement, because Dortmund are brilliant at finding teenage talents who will be the next world-beaters. Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho, and Jude Bellingham are three world-class players whom Dortmund found in other leagues as kids and turned into some of the biggest names on the planet.

Moore has that kind of ability when you look at his explosiveness and skill on the ball. He made enough noise at the Europa League level last season at the age of 17 to make you think that he can be the most dynamic winger on Tottenham in a few years. Maybe that's not saying much, but that's still super important for Spurs, especially when players with Moore's skill-set are expensive.

Tottenham have to prepare to lose some talented players this summer in order to afford potential game-changers to get them out of their current position as one of the bottom five teams in the Premier League.

Star center back Cristian Romero has been instrumental in Spurs reaching the Europa League Final this season and is one of the best players in his position in the English top flight, but he seems to be highly interested in a move to Spanish giants Atletico Madrid. And the Rojiblancos appear to be close to signing the Argentinian international.

So as Tottenham mull over Romero's future and their asking price for the defender, they need to start scouting the transfer market for replacements. Tottenham already have a few quality center backs in Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso, but if Radu Dragusin is sold along with Romero, that will only increase Tottenham's need for a center back.

Tottenham, Chelsea, and Liverpool want Jhon Lucumi from Bologna

According to a report from TBR Football's Graeme Bailey and Jamie Brown, Tottenham are among several Premier League teams interested in Bologna star Jhon Lucumi, who is now the top defender for the Serie A club after Riccardo Calafiori's summer 2024 departure to Tottenham's rivals Arsenal.

Speaking of rivals, Chelsea are among the clubs said to be interested in Lucumi, as are Liverpool, Brentford, Brighton, and Crystal Palace. Spurs and these other teams reportedly sent scouts to watch Lucumi in person.

Lucumi is one of the most underrated center backs in world football and should have received more praise than he did for Bologna's fairytale Champions League campaign last season. He was overshadowed by Calafiori, but, this season, he's been better than Calafiori has in North London and is a big reason why Bologna remain one of the teams competing for European football in Italy.

Romero was also a star in Serie A for Atalanta before joining Tottenham, so while he may not have the name recognition Romero does and shouldn't be seen as immediately being of the same quality, fans shouldn't put down Lucumi at the same time. He could very well be just as good as Romero with similar aggressiveness and fewer mental lapses.

Tottenham have been one of the most putrid teams in the Premier League this season, and if it weren't for the sheer futility of the three promoted Premier League sides this year, Spurs would be in serious contention for relegation under Ange Postecoglou.

There are so many problems with Tottenham right now, but one of the biggest is the fact that Spurs do not have enough difference-makers in their team. Son Heung-min has declined so sharply this season that the main star of the show is now James Maddison, and he's not nearly at the right level to be the best player on a team that aspires to finish in the top four of the Premier League.

Keeping Bayern Munich left wing loanee Mathys Tel would be a step in the right direction, but it would be insufficient. After bailing on Desire Doue last summer and watching him shine for Champions League finalists PSG, Daniel Levy and Tottenham have to rectify things this summer by making sure they take any opportunity they can get to sign special youngsters with the quality to become world-class Premier League superstars.

One opportunity is Manchester City star James McAtee, who could be next in the line of homegrown playmakers that includes Phil Foden and Chelsea's Cole Palmer, two Premier League Player of the Season-caliber stars.

Manchester City could be willing to sell James McAtee

According to a report from Danny Rust and Dean Jones of GiveMeSport, Tottenham are keeping an eye on McAtee as a transfer option this summer, as he has just one year left on his contract. GiveMeSport report that McAtee is becoming increasingly interested in signing with a new team, and apparently Pep Guardiola and Man City are willing to sell him, with the report pointing towards a recent poor performance against bottom-feeders Southampton.

McAtee will be wanted by so many clubs in the Premier League and even abroad, with top recruiters Bayer Leverkusen rumored to be among the teams interested. But as with Doue, Tottenham can't let the threat of competition dissuade them from making a serious sporting and then financial offer ot both McAtee and Manchester City.

Maybe McAtee isn't all that he's cracked up to be, and, at 22, he is a young player but not necessarily a true prospect like Doue. But he is obviously talented and could very well be another top player that Manchester City simply miss out on because of 1) a glut of options and 2) Guardiola's own deficiencies as a talent evaluator. (And yes, he does have his drawbacks, like everyone.)

Man City made that mistake with Palmer, and he is now the best playmaker in the Premier League after Kevin De Bruyne's decline and the main reason why Chelsea have gone from being a team almost as disappointing as Tottenham to a true Champions League-level side. Let's see if Tottenham are willing to take the plunge on McAtee this summer.

Pedro Porro is one of the best right backs in world football right now and has been a rousing success for Tottenham since joining in 2023 for 45 million euros from Sporting CP. Although Tottenham have, thus far, been unwilling to sell the Portuguese international, a new report from CaughtOffside states that the club could be open to selling Porro if they are offered 60-65 million euros.

Currently valued at 45 million euros by Transfermarkt, a 60 million euro offer would indeed be above Porro's valuation, but Porro's Transfermarkt value seems like an undersell for a 25-year-old who was signed for that fee in 2023 and has only enhanced his reputation by succeeding as an important player for Tottenham in both the Premier League and Europa League.

Barcelona, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich are all said to be interested in Porro, and all three are elite European clubs in Champions League contention with a big pedigree but also a need to sign better players in order to get to the Final. All three teams could use a right back and would be willing to spend on someone with Porro's all-around quality.

Pedro Porro transfer would be a monumental error

Tottenham will need to make some tough decisions in the summer 2025 transfer window, because they are going to have to make sales in order to buy. And as they currently sit 17th in the Premier League, Tottenham sure are going to have to buy some quality footballers in order to get back into top-five contention, even if they could still make the Champions League by beating Manchester United on May 21 in the Europa League Final.

But selling Porro would seem like a major step in the wrong direction. There is simply no way Tottenham would be able to sign a player anywhere near Porro's caliber at the position. They would be selling one of their best players - someone who can defend and create at a high level -and they wouldn't be able to attract a player remotely as good, even if they can brag about having 60 million euros in tote.

Daniel Levy would probably love to sell off an important player for big bucks, but Tottenham fans would riot even more than they already are against their club's chief decision-maker if he pulled a stunt like this with the team sitting in 17th. Tottenham should be selling players like Richarlison who are underperforming, not vital ones like Porro.

Tottenham are done and dusted in the Premier League this season, but if their success in the Europa League is anything to go off of, there is the hope of a bright future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with so many young pieces capable of taking the next leap to superstardom.

In appreciation of these talents, let's rank the three highest-upside Tottenham players right now in 2025.

Destiny Udogie is a special player when you look at his uniqueness, positional versatility, athleticism, and technical ability. A left-footed left wing back who is comfortable playing either side, coming up into the midfield, overlapping or underlapping with a winger, and stepping up to shoot, Udogie has the potential to be the total package at the position for Tottenham.

Spurs are demonstrably better with Udogie in the lineup. He has the athletic ability to make copious ball recoveries and the game intelligence to know which situations to aggressively overlap and which ones to add numbers in midfield. He presses well, winning possession high up the pitch for quick counters and has the goal threat to turn those chances into something more.

Udogie now has four years of starting experience in a top-five league but is still just 22. He has been worth every bit of the 20 million euros Tottenham spent to sign him from Udinese, as Transfermarkt now rates him as double that. It's not inconceivable that as he continues to progress, he could be worth nearly double that amount, too, within a few years.

Tottenham beat Barcelona to the punch for Lucas Bergvall, and the young center midfielder has almost immediately become the best box-to-box player on the team, above top-five league veterans Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur.

Bergvall has a certain dynamism about him and a clutch factor that has come up big in this season's Europa League campaign. The Swedish international is a great ball-winner and progressor off the dribble with an eye for goal.

Just 19 years of age, Bergvall is already breaking out and should be one of the most important Tottenham players when the 2025/26 season begins. He has a level of all-around quality his midfield teammates don't in terms of his athleticism, defensive contributions, and technical quality as a passer and dribbler. He has a chance to be one of the best midfielders in the world in five years, which is why Real Madrid are already watching him.

It may seem blasphemous to have Bergvall ranked only second among Tottenham players with the highest potential, but he and Mathys Tel are pretty much neck-and-neck. And when it comes to difference-making players, inverted wingers who can score, create, and beat defenders are often the most impactful players in world football. Look no further than the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Mohamed Salah, and, of course, Son Heung-min over the past couple of years.

As Son enters the decline phase of his career at the age of 32, Tottenham have to start looking for replacements. They may have found a tailor-made one in Tel, who is on loan from Bayern Munich and can be signed for 45 million pounds - or less. With each passing game week, Tel does more and more to secure a future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, creating frequent chances for his teammates, carrying a goal threat the other wingers don't, and showing more skill and initiative on the ball than his peers.

Players like Tel are difficult to find, and Tottenham have a ripe chance to sign a potential world-class left winger who can score and assist 10 and 10 per season, like Son was doing in his prime. Bergvall has the potential to be one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world, but the 20-year-old Tel has a chance to be one of the best forwards in the world. I think that gets a slight edge in terms of value added to Tottenham.

As the 2024/25 Premier League season winds down for Tottenham and the focus turns solely to the May 21 Europa League Final against Manchester United, about half the players in the first-team squad are playing for their futures at the club.

Perhaps the player in the most precarious position has also been one of the team's most impressive over the last few weeks. Mathys Tel was acquired on loan from Bayern Munich in the winter transfer window, and after an injury to Son Heung-min at the beginning of April, the young Frenchman became the main starting left winger with a huge opportunity to impress.

Tottenham can purchase Tel permanently for 45 million pounds, and while Spurs could negotiate that price down with Bayern since Die Roten puzzlingly don't seem to have any future plans for him, Tel keeps making moves that should entice Tottenham to keep him at the original price if necessary.

Even though Tottenham were embarrassed again on Sunday in the Premier League with a 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace, Tel gave the club even more reasons to keep him around for the foreseeable future.

Mathys Tel was Tottenham's best player vs. Crystal Palace

The 20-year-old left winger was the best player on the pitch in the defeat, particularly when you compare him to the other attacking players. Tel created two chances and won four fouls and made four tackles with three dribbles completed. He played like a man on a mission to not lose, showing more initiative on the attacking end and just as much fight on the defensive end as any Tottenham player.

And once again, Tel made headlines with Spurs fans for actions with the faithful. He was seen humbly signing autographs and interacting with fans as if he were a permanent member of the squad who had been there for years.

Tel is fighting for the team on the pitch with more desire than some of the Tottenham players who have actually been there for years. He's not even technically on the books at the club, yet he is doing everything he can to help even when the result technically doesn't count for anything, as was the case against Crystal Palace.

These are the moments in the season where you see who wants to be here and who doesn't. Tel clearly wants to be a Tottenham player, and I think that's invaluable; it's certainly worth 45 million pounds when the player himself has the upside to be worth double that amount in five years if all goes well.

For all the years Tottenham have spent not believing in talent, not taking risks, and not building a team around players who truly want to build something, Tel is an opportunity to change that narrative. How many big-name loan signings at Tottenham would sign autographs or leap into the stands or do any of the things Tel is doing? If there is any sense in the board room and any sense of fairness at Tottenham Hotspur, Tel will be sealing a move to the club shortly.

Despite adding Dominic Solanke, Richarlison, James Maddison, and Brennan Johnson over the past two years under manager Ange Postecoglou, the Tottenham attack has been underperforming in the 2024/25 campaign. Son Heung-min doesn't quite have the same pep in his step, while Solanke has struggled to score with the same consistent as in 2023/24 with the Cherries.

Tottenham could be looking to inject more goals into their attack this summer. Signing another striker is a possibility, though it seems more likely that Spurs will stick with Solanke for another year. Johnson has supplied a team-high 11 goals from the wing but with little else. Mathys Tel is an easy permanent transfer to make but too young to be considered a top scoring winger.

According to a report from Sky Sports's Lyall Thomas, Tottenham have joined fellow Premier League powerhouses Liverpool, Newcastle, and Manchester United as players interested in Brentford right winger Bryan Mbeumo, arguably the biggest attacking breakout star in the English top flight this season. Per Thomas, the Bees are in no rush to sell Mbeumo this summer and have set a valuation above 60 million pounds for the 25-year-old forward.

Bryan Mbeumo can actually help Tottenham

A year after spending 65 million pounds and in need of sales in order to buy, Tottenham are not likely to spend that much money on a player this year. But if they do sell players for a sufficient amount of money, it is plausible they could make a plunge for one proven Premier League commodity to juice up their attack if they win the Europa League over Manchester United and qualify for next season's Champions League.

Mbeumo is one of the few players who, on paper, makes sense for Tottenham. If you are going to build a way forward with an all-around No. 9 like Solanke, then you are going to need to get a lot of goals from the wings. And in turn, Solanke has the skill-set to help a rotation of trigger-happy wingers like Son, Mbeumo, Tel, and Johnson get their goals.

Going after Mbeumo would, however, leave Dejan Kulusevski as an odd man out. Kulu has been a key player for Tottenham and beloved by most fans since joining from Juventus. A standout in Serie A and even the league's best young player at Parma before starting in Turin, Kulusevski has worn many hats at Tottenham, even starting as a pretty decent box-to-box midfielder in a pinch this season.

The problem with Kulusevski is he's just not able to provide the explosive one-on-one ability or goal-scoring end product that a team like Tottenham needs in order to secure top-five finishes in a devilishly competitive Premier League. To wit, Kulusevski has not provided more than 11 goal contributions in a season in his last three Premier League campaigns. Mbeumo, on the other hand, is at 18 goals and 6 assists for a Brentford side that was far less expensive to put together.

It's hard to say that Tottenham should get rid of Kulusevski, and it is impossible to deny that he is a good footballer. Kulusevski is a talented progressor and a decent creator who works hard for Spurs. But it's becoming more clear that Kulusevski is a rotational midfielder and winger, rather than someone who can start every game and score the 10 goals and 10 assists per season that Spurs would need from a starting winger to compete with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City every year.

Tottenham pursuing Mbeumo this summer is a big "if" from a financial perspective, but "if" they were to make a play for the Brentford superstar, then Kulusevski would almost certainly be on his way out, along with other sellable attacking assets like Richarlison. Only then would Spurs have the financial and squad space clear for a weekly starting, goal-getting right winger like Mbeumo. The fact that Spurs are being linked isn't clear-cut evidence, but it should be taken by Kulusevski as a small, potential storm cloud brewing along the horizon.