Hotspur HQ

As Tottenham Hotspur fans consider all the possible attacking options to upgrade their squad in the January transfer window, the club must also reckon with a problem that has plagued the club arguably just as badly as their lack of goals over the past couple of years.

Spurs have a problem with selling players at the right time and generating the kinds of funds from sales that, you know, could help them sign top forwards, in addition to clearing out squad space for better players of the future.

Tottenham have been actively shopping Brennan Johnson, who is a perfectly decent Premier League forward but clearly does not have the all around skill set or consistency to suit Spurs. Ever since the signing of Mohammed Kudus, Johnson has pretty much become obsolete, and though many thought Thomas Frank could coax the best out of him, the Welsh international has simply faded into obscurity with Frank unable to get more out of the poaching winger.

Tottenham have a few suitors, too

Crystal Palace and other Premier League clubs have already shown significant interest in Johnson before the January transfer window has even started, and, now, it looks like Spurs have struck a deal to sell off the backup right winger.

According to noted transfer insider David Ornstein of The Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace "reach agreement" to send Brennan Johnson to the local London rivals. The agreement is between the clubs on the long rumored 35 million pound transfer fee, though the transfer is far from officially done since Johnson still has to accept Palace personally.

Fabrizio Romano has added more reporting via his YouTube channel that Bournemouth, who are seen as the main contenders to signing Johnson from Spurs, are ready to match that offer. So Johnson has time before the January transfer window opens up - and presumably during it - to weigh his options. Everton, Sunderland, and Aston Villa are three more Premier League clubs with interest.

It appears, though, that Tottenham are fully expected to sell Johnson without any issues, and given Johnson would get a ton more playing time at Palace or Bournemouth and these two clubs are prepared to give Spurs exactly what they are looking for in terms of a transfer fee, it would be a bit of an upset if Johnson did not join either of these two organizations. But the transfer window is young, so anything can happen in the next week.

Tottenham Hotspur have been hit harder than any other Premier League club on the injury front this season. They already came into the season with key absences, and Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison both remain out for the foreseeable future with their ailments. Plus, Dominic Solanke is yet to recover from his foot surgery with no time table for a return.

So many others have been in and out of the lineup for Tottenham this season with various injuries, and the latest star player to go down was center midfielder Lucas Bergvall in Spurs hard fought 1-0 win over Crystal Palace this past Sunday.

Bergvall seemed to suffer a groin injury while turning, and while the injury was not discussed much by the mainstream media, it was definitely a worry for Tottenham fans, especially in light of the team's main No. 10, Xavi Simons, out with a suspension.

A big battle is coming up for Thomas Frank

Tottenham face local rivals Brentford again in the Premier League this coming Thursday, and so many Spurs fans were worried that Bergvall could be out for the second battle between Thomas Frank and his ex employers.

But according to Frank himself, via Lilywhite Rose, Bergvall is "OK" and has not suffered a serious injury against Crystal Palace. He did not mention a specific time table for a return or the nature of the injury, but he did say that despite there being a "small doubt", the Tottenham Hotspur manager is "quite positive" that Lucas Bergvall will be available.

Frank said, "Lucas is OK. I am quite positive he'll be available, there is a small doubt but I'm pretty sure he'll be ok."

Tottenham do have other talented midfielders in Pape Matar Sarr and Archie Gray, and you would also think that veterans Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur should be more than good enough to handle a challenge against Brentford. But at the 10, not having Bergvall or Simons available would be a tough blow.

If Bergvall can not go, then the hero off the bench in the win over Palace, Wilson Odobert, would be an interesting name to consider at the No. 10, given his dribbling prowess in short areas and his underrated playmaking ability.

Bergvall, though, is more of an 8 than a 10, which is a fact that Spurs fans are hoping Frank has already realized. The biggest thing from this Frank injury news update on Bergvall is that the Swedish international has avoided any serious ailment, and that is awesome news indeed.

Although Tottenham Hotspur remain buried in the bottom half of the Premier League table and look no closer to competing for the league title than the grandiose claims that the have made to their fans. But while the present has been far from anything to write home about, the future is indeed bright for Tottenham when looking at the young stars they have on their books.

New signings Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons have all the tools to be superstars in the Premier League. Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie are already top players in their respective defensive positions, while midfielders Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, and Pape Matar Sarr will be at that level soon. And then in the attack, young left wingers Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel should not be slept on either.

What really sets Tottenham apart, though, is the gems out on loan. Luka Vuskovic has been, from out of nowhere, one of the most impressive defenders in all of European football this season for Hamburg. Young winger Mikey Moore is building on his successful cameos for the Tottenham first team last season with more star making performance for Rangers now that he is spreading his wings on loan.

Another high potential Tottenham player

But one player who is flying under the radar is another young winger in Yang Min-Hyeok. The Portsmouth standout is not starting every game for a highly defensive team in the Championship, but when he does play, he makes noise. Min-Hyeok has been a real positive as a creator or a progressor and has the versatility to play on either wing.

Well, on Monday night, the Portsmouth man skyrocketed his transfer value by showing a clutch goal scoring touch, bagging a brilliant winner with an instinctual finish into the bottom corner to ice the game for his team 2-1 in the 98th minute over Charlton Athletic.

It was a brilliant, brilliant goal that encapsulates the potential game changing ability that Yang Min-Hyeok has been quietly flashing. This goal and win was massive for Portsmouth, too, as they are in a relegation fight, so these three points go a long way.

That status as being in a relegation fight has led to rumblings that Tottenham Hotspur could try to facilitate a better loan deal for the highly promising Min-Hyeok, but given how important he is to Portsmouth even if he does not always start - which should be changing very soon - you can see why they would be reclutant to lose his quality.

Destiny Udogie is a quality left-back for Tottenham Hotspur who can also operate on the left side of midfield. Unfortunately, he has been troubled with a knee problem this season and is currently out with a hamstring issue.

Udogie has made just 10 Premier League appearances so far this season and has provided one assist. In his absence, Djed Spence, who is a right-footed full back, has operated on the left side of defense.

The left-back position is of concern for Tottenham. football.london has reported that "Either now or in the summer, a natural left-back will be sought to balance the squad and provide competition for the injury-prone Destiny Udogie."

Spence has performed well this season and is now an established England international. His versatility in being able to operate on either flank makes him a huge asset for club and country. However, having him at left-back thins out Spurs' options on the right, where the attack-minded Pedro Porro operates.

Ben Davies is still an option for Spurs at left-back. However, he is now more of a center-back as he is 32 years old.

Who could Tottenham Hotspur sign to compete with Destiny Udogie?

The dream signing for Tottenham Hotspur at left-back is Nathaniel Brown of Eintracht Frankfurt. However, he has been linked with other top clubs, including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Arsenal.

Brown is only 22, but has been a key player for Frankfurt since joining them permanently from FC Nürnberg. This season, Brown has scored once and made three assists in 15 Bundesliga games. He has also set up two goals in six Champions League games.

It is no mean feat to play for Germany, and Brown already has two caps for his country. He is a very attacking left-back who can also play left-midfielder and as a left-winger.

Another defender Spurs have been linked with is Konstantinos Koulierakis. However, he is a center-back. He has been a key part of Wolfsburg's defence this season, where he has missed just one Bundesliga game. Interestingly, the Bundesliga appears to be where Tottenham is looking right now for recruits.

Brown would not come cheaply, as he is contracted to Frankfurt until 2030. However, in a post-Daniel Levy era at Spurs, Tottenham are expected to loosen the purse strings. They won the Europa League last season, which ended a 17-year trophy drought. Spurs need to build on this success.

As the 2026 January transfer window begins to draw nearer, Tottenham Hotspur are juggling both potential incomings to vastly upgrade an anemic attack in the 2025/26 season while balancing out outgoings to earn revenue and clear out the squad of young players who are talented but no longer have a role to play.

One of the most discussed names right now is right winger Brennan Johnson, who went from the hero of the Europa League Final with the winning goal over Manchester United back to what he was for the majority of the 2024/25 season - a total non factor.

Coming into the 2025/26 campaign, there was hope that new Spurs manager Thomas Frank could get more out of Johnson, but, if anything, Frank has gotten even less out of him. That is largely because Mohammed Kudus has been everything Johnson was not as an all around winger on the right side, and with his failure to slot in on the left, his fate as a Tottenham transfer in January has likely been sealed.

Two big clubs are after Brennan Johnson now

There are notable clubs around the Premier League lining up to take a gamble on one of the best pure scoring wingers and poachers in the United Kingdom. Crystal Palace have been the most mentioned, and Bournemouth have recently joined the fray, too.

But now, according to a report from Simon Jones of the Daily Mail, two even more historic Premier League clubs are now interested in acquiring Brennan Johnson, Everton and Aston Villa. Perhaps selling Johnson to either of these clubs could open up a dream Morgan Rogers swoop for Spurs or even a Tottenham Hotspur transfer for explosive dribbler Iliman Ndiaye.

But given Rogers is close to untouchable for Villa and he and Johnson do not play anywhere near the same position or role on the pitch, selling Johnson to Villa, in particular, would be a very questionable move for Spurs.

Over the last few years, Villa and Spurs have been frequently fighting for European places together, and, right now, Villa are quietly one of the sleeper teams in the Premier League title race after favorites Arsenal.

Johnson joining them could add a different dimension and a goal scoring touch off the right side of the formation that could spell doom for Tottenham, particularly in the future when Spurs aim to truly be competing for top four places again. It is flattering for clubs that are doing better to want Johnson, but Spurs really do have to be careful who they sell to, even if Johnson has not been particularly useful to them recently.

Tottenham Hotspur have one of the most talented defensive groups on paper in the Premier League, and while opponents like Arsenal and even Nottingham Forest have shown to Spurs and Thomas Frank that what is on paper is not always what is reflected in real life, by and large, the Spurs defense has been an asset to the club this season.

Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro are an above average fullback pair, Guglielmo Vicario is a great pure shot stopper, and the center back triumvirate of Kevin Danso, Micky van de Ven, and Cristian Romero is definitely one of the best on this planet.

Even with Radu Dragusin likely to leave this coming winter transfer window, Spurs are still going to be beyond loaded at the center back position, especially when you account for Luka Vuskovic shining on loan at Hamburg.

The better option for Tottenham?

Vuskovic has legitimately been one of the best defenders in European football this season for the returning Bundesliga underdogs, and his aerial prowess and even goal scoring touch have already become the stuff of legend, earning him the moniker "Air Vuskovic" from the Hamburg faithful.

But to those Tottenham fans who see it as a foregone conclusion that Vuskovic will be a first team player in 2026/27, the answer to that may not be so cut and dry, based on some rather perceptive comments made by Vuskovic's father, Daniel.

In an interview with Sportske Novosti, via The Athletic's Seb Stafford-Bloor, Daniel Vuskovic stated that his son would benefit from developing more in the Bundesliga before he is ready to take that next big step in the competition of the Premier League for the Tottenham Hotspur senior side.

He said, "I don't want him to skip the developmental stages and go straight to the English Premier League, which I believe is the strongest league in the world. Luka still has a lot of potential for development. In my opinion, it wouldn't be bad if he stayed in Germany. For Luka, the most important thing in 2026 is that he continues to train and work as he has been. Then everything else will fall into place."

That is a more than respectable bit of analysis from Luka's father, and, if anything, it is very refreshing to hear a father speak in humble and plain terms about his son in an era of glorified family agents and massive egos infiltrating sport, especially football.

If there is one thing, above all else and amidst all the other pressing problems at the club, that Tottenham Hotspur fans take the most issue with about the organization over the years, then it is their sheer lack of ambition on the transfer market.

Even though Tottenham did sign some big talents in the summer window in Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus, when you account for the fact that Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League, won the Europa League trophy, hired a new manager, and watched rivals like Arsenal and Chelsea invest even more in their squads, you really have to cast their summer business under more of a microscope.

Tottenham like to tell their fans that they are aiming for bigger and better things, and after the surprising sacking of the stingy Daniel Levy, there has been a common refrain from the club to the fan base that there will be big, positive signings coming in January and a lot more investment.

Tottenham are not as serious as Arsenal

But when you listen to Thomas Frank talk and you look at the names Tottenham are linked to - and the caliber of players they were not able to compete for at all - the skepticism Spurs fans about their club's viable transfer strategy is only increasing.

Juxtaposing Frank's remarks with those just recently made by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who is quite literally leading the Premier League right now, and you can see how vast the difference in mentality there is between these two clubs right now.

Speaking about the upcoming January transfer window, Arteta sounded bold and ambitious about what the Gunners could try to achieve in the market. He said, via Fabrizio Romano, “We will be actively looking to strengthen the squad in January. Depending on the availability of certain players, the window is there, I mean, we're Arsenal and we have to be looking at it. Our job is to be very prepared because something can happen”.

While Mikel Arteta is far from the most likable character for Tottenham fans, even his biggest haters have to admit a level of respect for a coach that is always trying to push for more and publicly given a license by the club to say that the Gunners are "actively looking" for upgrades, even while being first in the league.

And that is probably the product of Arsenal suffering three straight tough calls in a title race, coming up just short. Tottenham, meanwhile, are nowhere near the title race and have not been in a while, but, then, you would think that would give the club more of a sense of urgency to say that they are actively pushing for major additions in the transfer market.

With Antoine Semenyo, Omar Marmoush, and Savinho off the table and Tottenham Hotspur unsure which top forward, if any, they could potentially sign to their squad in the January transfer window, the most interesting transfer news surrounding Spurs now deals with a current forward of their own in Brennan Johnson.

Although Johnson scored plenty of goals from the wing last season and earned a reputation for being a bit of a poacher, including a very important winner against Manchester United in the Europa League Final, he always had issues with doing just about anything else at a Premier League quality level on the wings.

And then this season, Johnson has really fallen off, with Thomas Frank, who did value Johnson highly as a transfer target when he was coaching Brentford, unable to get anything out of the Welsh international. Johnson's stock at Spurs has only fallen further, and it is to the point where the Mohammed Kudus transfer has pretty much made Johnson a non factor in the offense.

Tottenham have another option now

Now, Tottenham are mulling over possible transfer destinations for a sale this January, and Mark McAdam of Sky Sports just reported that in addition to Crystal Palace, who have well established interest in Brennan Johnson, Bournemouth are also eyeing the player. He could have a big role to play for the Cherries, too, because they are about to lose Premier League Player of the Season candidate Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City.

The real twist in McAdam's report comes later, though. He states that it is still actually "unclear" if Spurs are willing to sell Johnson this winter, and he floats the idea of a January loan deal as being another option for Johnson in 2026. He goes on to describe this transfer as a "tough deal".

What's interesting, though, is that most of the other reporters, especially those close to Tottenham Hotspur, seem to be indicating that Johnson is close to a slam dunk to go because of his diminished role in the attack and his lack of a stylistic fit for what Frank is doing.

A loan deal is plausible, perhaps with a juicy option to buy if Johnson plays well, but if he is not even starting for Spurs anyway and Tottenham can get a nice chunk of change between 30 and 40 million pounds for them, then it would be puzzling for Spurs to not just take the money and run.

Tottenham had a pretty good summer transfer window in terms of incomings. Sure, they are nowhere near the position in the table they'd like to be, but this is more due to outgoings and injuries. The players they signed have been pretty great.

Nevertheless, there are still gaps to be plugged. Thomas Frank knows this, and so do the Tottenham fans. Actually plugging them, though, is an entirely different story.

As we know, January is not nearly as busy as the summer transfer window. The mid-season window lends itself to pre-contract agreements and the occasional loan deal, rather than any blockbuster deals.

One of those players who will enter the final six months of his contract is Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka. There were whispers over the last few days that Tottenham were showing an interest in approaching him.

Tottenham is not actually interested in Leon Goretza

As we reported earlier, Tottenham is not interested in signing Leon Goretzka. Furthermore, Goretzka is only focused on Bayern Munich in the final six months of his deal.

Look, this may change. Right now, though, Tottenham has not shown an interest in Leon Goretzka.

Take anything you read with a pinch of salt, but The Athletic, whose staff broke the news, is one of the more reliable and respected places out there. They won't publish something, and neither will their staff, unless it is true, or as close to their definition of truth as possible.

At face value, you'd think this would be a blow for Tottenham, but it isn't. Even on a pre-contract agreement, saving any transfer fee, Leon Goretzka is not worth pursuing.

Gortezka was once a great player. You could even consider him world-class at one point, or at least tiptoeing around world-class. However, those days are in the past now.

The German international is 30 years old, and his career solstice has already occurred. Going forward, it is hard to imagine him improving on his Bayern Munich days. Heck, we've seen that play out at Bayern already.

In the early days, when Bayern won the treble, Gortezka was a key piece of the puzzle. Nowadays, though, he is a passenger. He lacks defensive input, and he would do Spurs more harm than good.

Tottenham just saved themselves from throwing $20M in the trash

Financially speaking, the cut-price or even pre-contract deal would not be as good as it looks. Sure, Spurs might save some money on a transfer fee, but he's bound to demand a huge contract.

Leon Goretzka's yearly Bayern Munich salary (including bonuses) sits at just under $20 million. With many clubs interested in him, he was never likely to accept a paycut easily.

Hypothetically speaking, it would make him the highest-paid player at Tottenham. However, he would be far from the most important player.

Spurs are not in a position to be paying out inflated contracts, even in the post-Levy era. It would make all the work Levy did count for nothing, and it would weaken their negotiation position in future cases.

Just look at Man United. Paying out big money contracts for players like Alexis Sanchez when they were chasing their former glory days really worked out for them, huh?

Spurs are better off investing in a player who is in their prime, not on the decline.

For the most part, Tottenham Hotspur will be after attacking stars in the January 2026 transfer window, because goal scoring has been a real issue for the team this season. Richarlison is the club's leading goal scorer right now, and anyone who thinks that is a good thing for Spurs is clearly out of touch with what is happening in the games.

Spurs have gaping holes on the left wing and at striker, yes, but a lot of their attacking woes also stem from issues in the middle of the park. Tottenham do not have a great progressor in terms of passing or deep lying playmaking in the midfield, as their best option is Archie Gray, who is still too young to affect games profoundly in that regard. He needs time.

Tottenham have a few rambunctious box to box mavens, but a more technical profile would suit them best if possible in January. That is why it was so jarring for Spurs supporters to then see the club linked to Leon Goretzka, of all people, going into the January transfer window.

Tottenham won't be making this mistake

It looks like the rumors of Tottenham talking to Goretzka's agent were much ado about nothing. According to Bundesliga expert Seb Stafford-Bloor of The Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur actually have "no interest" in the Bayern Munich veteran center midfielder at this time, meanwhile Goretzka is said to be focused on the rest of the season for Die Roten with six months left on his contract.

Now, maybe that does not rule out Spurs putting out feelers for Goretzka in the summer 2026 transfer window as a free agent, but given the wages he would make in free agency and his poor film over the past three years with Bayern mostly desperate to get rid of him, there really would be no sense in pursuing Goretzka at all. He is not better than Lucas Bergvall nor Pape Matar Sarr, and, plus, he has far less long term value than those two do.

Tottenham need to be smart and spend their money wisely on the transfer market, especially at a position like midfielder where they do have some real gem talents who are already capable starters at the Premier League level. On no plane does Goretzka make any sense for Spurs, and, therefore, supporters of the club have to be relieved that, as of right now, he is not an option for Tottenham.