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Tottenham Hotspur are looking at a potential alternative to playmaker James Maddison in the form of a "high level" Argentine star, with the £170,000-per-week midfielder's inconsistent form symbolic of Spurs' season so far.

James Maddison challenged to improve amid England snubs

Maddison's lacklustre showings on the field lately have resulted in the former Leicester City star's consistent omission from England duty.

In truth, despite some fantastic performances here and there, the nature of Maddison's stop-and-start form eventually cause ex-England boss Gareth Southgate to lose faith - and he decided to exclude the 27-year-old from his squad for Euro 2024.

Maddison has also missed their last two rounds of qualifiers for the Nations League, sitting out their international ties in both September and October, with the ex-Norwich City loanee also set to watch on at home as England prepare for clashes against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.

Reports have suggested that Tottenham are monitoring Shakhtar Donetsk starlet Georgiy Sudakov as a potential stand-in for Maddison, so the club may have plans to sign players in a similar mold, who could either alternate or challenge him for a place in the team.

"I don't think you pick national teams on the back of a free-kick, to be fair. I think you need more than that. So that's the first thing," said Postecoglou on Maddison's form, challenging him to earn back his England place.

"Look, secondly, it's with all these things I've always said, team selection, squad selection, it's more in the players' hands than the managers', they're the ones that need to put up the compelling evidence for people to make decisions.

"When I select a team on the weekend or when the England manager selects his squad, he's doing it on the back of the evidence he has before him. So if you miss out, well then you've got to say: 'OK, well I've got to give you more compelling evidence next time to get back in there.'

"I've never come across a manager who doesn't select what he thinks is the best team for what he wants and the purpose of his sort of brief. So, whether it's Madders or anyone else, they've just got to keep putting up the evidence that means they get selected for the next national team."

Brighton stance as Tottenham look at signing Facundo Buonanotte

Another possible alternative to the Englishman is Brighton and Hove Albion attacker Facundo Buonanotte. The Argentine has been excellent on loan at Leicester City this season, bagging three goals and two assists in all competitions as one of Steve Cooper's bright sparks, and The Boot Room claim Tottenham are looking at Buonanotte - whlst also sharing Brighton's sale stance.

“When he brakes and accelerates, he reminds me of [Lionel] Messi," said former Man City star Carlos Tevez. "He is at a very high level.”

Unfortunately, it's bad news for Spurs and perhaps Leicester too, as the Seagulls have no plans on letting their 19-year-old starlet go permanently at this stage.

West Ham United and Crystal Palace are both concerned that Tottenham Hotspur are considering a move for a "big" transfer target wanted by both sides, with the north Londoners threatening to spoil their plans.

Spurs target new midfielder and winger for 2025

The Lilywhites were ambitious in the last summer transfer window - splashing cash in an effort to back manager Ange Postecoglou - and even ended their year-long wait for a Harry Kane replacement with the £65 million signing of England international Dominic Solanke.

However, their start to the new Premier League season can be summed up in one word - inconsistent.

Impressive victories over Man City in the Carabao Cup and Aston Villa in the top flight nearly a fortnight ago were then followed up by humbling defeats to Galatasaray and newly-promoted Ipswich Town - with the latter securing their first three points of the campaign at the expense of Postecoglou's side.

Lowly Crystal Palace also notched their first win of 2024/2025 against Spurs, and this is a trend that Postecoglou will want to eliminate from his team's form at the earliest opportunity.

Questions are starting to be asked of the Australian, but it is believed that Postecoglou retains full backing from the Tottenham board and has plenty of credit in the bank after guiding them to European football with a fifth-placed finish last term.

In the background, technical director Johan Lange and co are still preparing to support Postecoglou with more key new additions for future transfer windows, which perhaps highlights their faith in the 59-year-old.

There are suggestions that Spurs have their eyes on Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Hugo Larsson, who is standing out as one of the Bundesliga's brightest prospects right now, while Real Madrid's Arda Güler is believed to be a target for Tottenham as well.

Man City winger Jack Grealish has emerged on Spurs' radar ahead of the next two transfer windows as well, according to recent reports, as Lange and co plan an ambitious move for the £300,000-per-week forward.

West Ham and Crystal Palace worried Tottenham could make Andy Diouf offer

According to GiveMeSport, RC Lens midfielder Andy Diouf is also being closely watched by Tottenham ahead of next year. West Ham and Crystal Palace are also concerned that Tottenham will move for Diouf, and offer the Frenchman a route into English football, with both London rivals also fans of the player who has been impressing in Ligue 1 lately.

The 21-year-old cost just £13 million for Lens to sign from FC Basel in 2023, and he hasn't looked back since, with clubs in both the Premier League and abroad on his trail.

While you can't guarantee what the results are going to be, you can be sure that watching Tottenham Hotspur play will result in 90 minutes of pure entertainment at the moment.

Ange Postecoglou's side are still struggling to put their inconsistent streak behind them, but continue to play some of the most aesthetically pleasing and attacking football in the Premier League, as evidenced by their league-high haul of 23 goals.

In fact, the North Londoners are scoring so frequently across all competitions that even some players you wouldn't usually associate with scoring are finding themselves surprisingly high up in the club's top goalscorers list, including one player who's recently been compared to a sensational international with an enormous valuation.

Spurs' top goalscorers

So, before we get to the player in question, let's look at Spurs' actual topscorers, and coming in at number one is the club's most inform attacker, Brennan Johnson.

The Welsh international endured a slow start to the campaign that even saw him deactivate his Instagram account following abuse from so-called fans.

However, following a late winner against Coventry City that kept the team in the League Cup back in September, he has been utterly unstoppable and currently has an impressive tally of seven goals and one assist in 17 appearances for the club.

Just behind him is record-signing Dominic Solanke, who also had a bit of a plodding start to life in North London but has since found his shooting boots and has six goals - including a brace against Aston Villa - and two assists to his name in just 15 appearances, which has been enough to earn him another call-up to the England squad.

Now, once we get into third place, there are three players all tied on three goals a piece, including the usual suspects of James Maddison, who also has four assists in 15 games, and club captain Son Heung-min, who has three assists to boot in his 11 games so far.

However, the final name to make it into the club's top three scorers for the season so far is probably not someone most fans would expect to see so high up, even though they are immensely talented and could one day earn the club a huge payday.

Spurs' surprise scorer

So, the Spurs ace who is currently tied on three goals for the season so far is Pape Matar Sarr, who has found the back of the net against Qarabağ FK and Ferencvaros in the Europa League and scored a screamer against Manchester City in the League Cup.

However, while it's certainly a bonus for Postecoglou and Co to see the talented midfielder help out with goals here and there, that is not what makes him such a unique talent.

Instead, it's his ability to help his more senior teammates run games from the middle of the park thanks to his impressive technical ability, surprising physical strength, general football intelligence, and ability to carry the ball forward into dangerous areas.

He showed a number of these traits in his sensational performance against Aston Villa just over a week ago, which earned him a 9/10 rating from football.london's Alasdair Gold and led to GOAL's Mitch Fretton calling him a "monster," which wasn't even hyperbolic, as he made three clearances, two interceptions and blocked one shot during his 90 minutes on the pitch.

On top of him now cementing himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet in N17, the Senegalese international has also now won comparisons to a certain rival player worth a fortune: Declan Rice.

Yes, according to FBref, which looks at players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues before creating a ten-man list of the most comparable players, the Englishman is the fourth most similar midfielder to the Lilywhites star.

To better understand how this conclusion was reached, we can examine the underlying metrics in which the pair ranked very closely, metrics including but not limited to progressive passes and carries, non-penalty expected goals per shot, passes into the penalty area, successful take-ons, miscontrols and ball recoveries, all per 90.

Now, while the Spurs faithful might not be too keen on their exciting midfield talent being compared to one of those lot down the road, their opinions may change when they notice the Gunners ace's valuation of €120m per Transfermarkt, which comes out to about £100m.

If Sarr continues to play as well as he has been this season and is as similar to Rice as the data and analytics suggest, then given the fact he's still just 22 years old, it does not seem impossible that he, too, will one day be worth £100m or more.

Ultimately, even if a fee that high never makes it into Daniel Levy's hands, Tottenham have clearly got an incredible talent in Sarr.

As it was last year, this season is shaping up to be another inconsistent campaign for Tottenham Hotspur.

Ange Postecoglou's side have looked sensational in some games, like against Manchester United and Aston Villa, but utterly woeful in others, like against Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town.

The Australian has managed to turn his team into one of the most entertaining and aesthetically pleasing sides in the country, but until he can iron out their tendency not to turn up in certain games, his record of winning a trophy with every team he's managed is under serious threat.

That said, it does feel like with a few more transfer windows under his belt and the chance to make the team his own completely, he'll be able to build something special in N17. However, that might mean cutting his losses on several of his current stars, including James Maddison, who could be replaced in the future.

The James Maddison conundrum

So, the first thing to say is that Maddison is a genuinely talented footballer who, on his day, can be one of the best attacking midfielders in the country.

For example, in his final campaign for a Leicester City side that was ultimately relagated, he managed to rack up a seriously impressive haul of ten goals and nine assists in 32 appearances, equating to a goal involvement every 1.68 games.

Moreover, he started last season like a house on fire, scoring three goals and providing five assists in his first ten league games for Postecoglou's Spurs, but therein lies one of his most significant issues: inconsistency.

Despite looking utterly world-class for the first third of last season, he ended the year with a rather meagre haul of four goals and nine assists, meaning in his final 18 league games, he practically disappeared, scoring just one goal and providing three assists.

This year has seen his numbers get a little better, with three goals and four assists in 15 appearances across all competitions.

However, over the last month or so, he has been taken out of games at half-time, like he was against West Ham United, or been made to start on the bench, as he did against Ipswich Town and Aston Villa.

Moreover, alongside losing his place in the Lilywhites' starting lineup, the former Foxes star also remains out of the England set-up, and considering the number of injuries he's suffered over his career and the fact he's about to turn 28, it does feel like his chance to make it at the top of the Premier League, and the international level is starting to fade away.

So, while it's harsh, it might be time for Spurs to sign an up-and-coming replacement for the Englishman, and based on reports in recent weeks, it looks like they might just do that.

The player who could replace Maddison

The talented youngster who could be Spurs' ideal replacement for Maddison is Brighton & Hove Albion ace Facundo Buonanotte, who, according to a report out of Spain late last week, is of serious interest to the North Londoners.

The good news is that, according to the report, the Seagulls are willing to sell the promising midfielder for around €50m, which is about £41m, but the bad news is that Leicester City are also incredibly keen on the Argentine.

The 19-year-old is currently on loan with the Foxes and, like Maddison before him, has impressed the fans and hierarchy with his mature and creative performances in attacking midfield and out on the right.

For example, despite still being just a teenager and playing for one of the weakest teams in the league, the Pérez-born "risk-taker", as dubbed by manager Steve Cooper, has already scored three goals and provided two assists in just ten league appearances, eight of which have been starts, meaning he's currently averaging a goal involvement every other game.

Moreover, if you still need convincing that the exciting prospect could be one of football's future stars, you just need to listen to Argentine and Premier League great Carlos Tevez, who said the youngster "reminds me of Messi" a few years ago.

Ultimately, it would represent something of a financial gamble to sign such an expensive youngster.

However, he has already shown that the big stage doesn't frighten him, and with Maddison struggling to even get into Postecoglou's team at the moment, it feels like it's time to look for fresh talent who can develop under and be moulded by the Australian. Therefore, Spurs should sign Buonanotte in 2025 before someone else does.

Tottenham Hotspur are planning an ambitious move to sign a big-name forward, with manager Ange Postecoglou setting out a new transfer wish behind the scenes amid a stop-start beginning to the 2024/25 season.

Spurs' rumoured transfer plans leading up to January

The January transfer window is right around the corner for technical director Johan Lange, and it represents a significant opportunity for Spurs to strengthen in key areas and heighten their chances of a successful season in the Premier League and Europe.

Tottenham currently lie 10th in the Premier League table - winning five, losing five and drawing one out of their opening 11 games of the season - highlighting the inconsistent nature of their campaign thus far.

Wins over Man City in the Carabao Cup and top-four rivals Aston Villa in the top flight have been overshadowed by disappointing defeats to Galatasaray and Ipswich Town last week, with Postecoglou desperately seeking a way to lead his side on the path to a consistent run of form.

It is under two months until Lange and chairman Daniel Levy can look to the January window as a solution, with reports suggesting that they're keen on a few interesting names.

Indeed, Real Madrid attacker Arda Güler, who starred for Turkey at Euro 2024, is believed to be on Postecoglou's radar. The 19-year-old has been linked with a winter exit from the Bernabeu, and it is believed that Tottenham are considering a loan bid for Guler in January amid his situation in the Spanish capital.

Meanwhile, another very exciting young player in Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Hugo Larsson has been attracting admirers in N17. The Bundesliga starlet has started this season in fine form, so much so that Tottenham are plotting January talks to sign Larsson as the list of interested clubs grows.

It will be intriguing to see whether these rumours come to fruition, but one thing is for certain: Spurs need inspiration from somewhere. Postecoglou has watched on from the dugout as his team blow hot and cold, with the Australian now after a "new profile" for his squad.

Tottenham lining up ambitious move for Jack Grealish

That is according to Football Insider, which claims that Man City winger Jack Grealish "fits the bill" for Postecoglou in that regard.

The £300,000-per-week forward was a key component of Pep Guardiola's treble-winning team during the 2022/23 season, but Grealish has since been in and out of the starting eleven amid injury problems and competition with the likes of Jeremy Doku for a regular starting place.

FI also writes that Tottenham are planning an ambitious move for Grealish and could take advantage of the Englishman's precarious situation at Eastlands, but this transfer is very unlikely to happen in January and more suited towards next summer considering City's ongoing injury crisis.

"He's such a fabulous player," said former Man United midfielder Owen Hargreaves in 2023.

"I think he's so used to maybe playing a certain way, he's such a good carrier of the ball. I think he's unplayable when he plays [like this]. I think if he does everything in one, two, three touches - I don't think you can stop him.

"When he makes his mind up to go do something, I think he's actually pretty much impossible to play against."

A journalist has shared some inside information about how the Tottenham Hotspur boardroom are really feeling about Ange Postecoglou following a very inconsistent start to the Premier League season.

Spurs blowing hot and cold in north London

This last fortnight has perhaps summed up Spurs' season so far, with Postecoglou overseeing excellent results against the likes of Aston Villa and Man City whilst also falling short in games they were expected to win.

Tottenham knocked City out of the Carabao Cup two weeks ago courtesy of goals from Timo Werner and Pape Matar Sarr, with the Lilywhites thumping top-four rivals Aston Villa 4-1 in north London just days later.

This could've been seen as the turning point for Postecoglou, but Spurs were brought right back down to earth last week with back-to-back losses against Turkish champions Galatasaray in the Europa League and newly promoted Ipswich Town on Sunday.

Their defeat to Kieran McKenna's side was a particularly sore one to take. Ipswich dealt Spurs their fifth top-flight loss of the season, with Postecoglou's men now sitting 10th in the Premier League table as the Australian plots how to galvanise a consistent winning run from his team.

Following the international break, Spurs will take on City again, this time at the Etihad, and critics are unsure which version of Tottenham is going to turn up.

Postecoglou, speaking after his side's defeat to Ipswich, took full responsibility for the club's stop-start performances this season.

"That's down to me. That's my responsibility," said Postecoglou.

"The inconsistency we're having this year, ultimately it comes down to me and my approach and something I need to try and fix and see if I can help the players in that area."

While Tottenham could look to make January signings in a bid to back Postecoglou, according to some reports, supporters are understandably growing frustrated given the topsy-turvy nature of the results on show - especially after Spurs' boss appeared to promise silverware this season.

Journalist shares how Tottenham board really feel about Postecoglou

Now, journalist Pete O'Rourke has shared some news about how Tottenham's board really feel about Postecoglou after their start to 2024/25.

O'Rourke writes that Postecoglou is not in danger of the sack in N17, and he has "plenty of credit in the bank" with Spurs chiefs after guiding them to a fifth-place finish and subsequent Europa League berth last term.

He adds that there is no panic "in the boardroom" about the 59-year-old's future, so it appears he is safe for the time being, but Postecoglou will be desperate for his side to showcase the kinds of performances that dispatched Villa, City and Man Utd on a more regular basis.

As well as tough Premier League games coming their way, Spurs also have to face off against Roma, Rangers, Hoffenheim and Elfsborg in Europe soon, so the pressure is well and truly on Tottenham to deliver.

A Tottenham Hotspur youngster is actively refusing to go out on loan in January as he's determined to stay home, impress manager Ange Postecoglou and work his way into the Australian's plans.

Spurs lose to Galatasaray and Ipswich in a disastrous week for Ange

The international break couldn't have come soon enough for Postecoglou and co following a disastrous week, with Tottenham losing to Turkish champions Galatasaray in the Europa League and newly promoted Ipswich Town in the Premier League.

In truth, Spurs were lucky to escape Galatasaray with a 3-2 defeat, as the Süper Lig side had plenty of chances to embarrass them by a much greater scoreline on the night, with Ipswich following that up by sealing a shock victory in north London just days later.

Kieran McKenna's side secured their first top-flight victory of the campaign at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Postecoglou criticised since then, as supporters and pundits scratch their heads over the stop-start nature of Spurs' early-season form.

As well as defeat to Ipswich, Crystal Palace managed to seal their first three points of the campaign against the Lilywhites at Selhurst Park, with the top-four hopefuls also slumping to a 3-2 defeat at Brighton after squandering a two-goal advantage.

Amid their lacklustre start to the campaign, Tottenham are reportedly plotting January talks to sign Hugo Larsson from Eintracht Frankfurt, among other potential targets, in a bid to strengthen the squad and hand Postecoglou the best chance of making something out of his second full season in charge.

"We didn't start the game well at all. It was all sort of passive, without the ball, with the ball. I felt we didn't get the tempo right or intensity right and then we gave ourselves a mountain to climb," said Postecoglou on Spurs' 2-1 defeat to Ipswich.

"Second half, we were in the ascendancy and had opportunities, obviously but we didn't do enough with them.

"They're all different sorts of scenarios. When we went behind against Villa we were playing well. We weren't playing well today. So you've got to look at [it] in isolation today, it was a different scenario for me. I don't think it was anything like last time. We gave ourselves too much of a deficit to try to overcome. Obviously, second half we had the opportunities to do that, but we should never have been in that position."

Archie Gray determined to impress Postecoglou at Tottenham

One player who hasn't played a major role so far, particularly in the Premier League, has been summer signing Archie Gray.

The 18-year-old is yet to make his first top-flight start, with both Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr ahead of him in the pecking order, and there have been reports that Tottenham are expecting clubs to make loan offers for Gray in January.

However, GiveMeSport claims that Gray is actively refusing to leave in January, as the Englishman is determined to impress Postecoglou and show the tactician that there is a place for him in the Spurs starting lineup on a regular basis.

The former Leeds sensation wants to continue improving in N17 whilst immersing himself in life at Spurs rather than go out on a temporary spell elsewhere - despite an array of clubs in the Premier League and Championship weighing up a mid-season approach.

After the excitement of emphatically beating Champions League-chasing Aston Villa in the Premier League last weekend, Tottenham Hotspur went on to lose their following two games.

Ange Postecoglou has been able to turn his Spurs side into one of the most exciting and entertaining teams to watch in the entire country, but he has yet to be able to drill their inconsistent streak out of them.

The North Londoners can look near enough unstoppable one day and easily beatable the next, and if the Australian doesn't do something about this soon, he could be in trouble.

Fortunately, there is something he could try, something Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta did a few years ago when his position was under increasing scrutiny.

Spurs' up and down season

So, it's quite challenging to decide whether this season has been a good one for Spurs just yet, as following a poor start in which they drew to Leicester City and lost to Arsenal and Newcastle United, their form has been a little all over the place.

For example, in the Premier League, the North Londoners have hammered the high-flying Brentford, tore Manchester United to pieces at Old Trafford, thumped West Ham United and Villa 4-1 and yet, they have also handed Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace their only wins of the season and managed to throw away a 2-0 lead in their game against Brighton & Hove Albion last month.

This inconsistency has even followed the Lilywhites into the Europa League, as last week they came away 3–2 losers from their clash with Galatasaray.

Moreover, with the chances the Turkish side had in that game, the final score was really quite flattering to Postecoglou's side.

What makes the whole situation even more confusing is that while some players have been notably poor this season, like Radu Dragusin, who was sent off on his Europa League debut for the club, and Timo Werner, whose only positive contributions so far this season has been his performance against Manchester City in the League Cup, it's hard to determine just why the team cannot maintain a good run of form.

The most straightforward answer may just be that the side are still adapting to Postecoglou's style and philosophy, and therefore, fans should expect more teething problems as the season progresses.

However, if that's the case, the manager may want to copy something Arteta did a few years ago, something that could both get more fans back on side and pay dividends in the coming campaigns: start Mikey Moore.

Why Postecoglou must start playing Moore

Yes, one of the ways Postecoglou could get a reaction out of his team and potentially please some unsure fans at the same time is to involve Moore in much more football this season once he gets over his current illness.

Now, we don't mean bringing him off the bench every few games or starting him in the cup competitions.

Instead, the manager should be giving the highly-rated, hungry and "fearless" youngster, as dubbed by James Maddison, the opportunity to start a considerable number of games this season.

There may be some who'll argue that he's too young, but as the old adage goes, if you're good enough, you're old enough, and based on his sensational performance against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League, for which he won the Man of the Match award and was compared to Neymar by Maddison, he's certainly good enough.

Moreover, while it is only junior football, his form for the Lilywhite's youth teams is simply staggering.

In 33 games for the various junior sides, the up-and-coming "superstar", as dubbed by journalist Fabrizio Romano, has scored 20 goals and provided 15 assists, so keeping him at that level feels entirely pointless.

Lastly, for the fans who are unsure, you only have to look down the road at your bitter rivals, as when Arteta was under immense pressure a few years ago, he and the rest of the team were dragged out of the depths by a 19-year-old Bukayo Saka and 20-year-old Emile Smith Rowe.

They were both massively inexperienced in the 2020/21 season, yet Saka ended the campaign with a haul of seven goals and nine assists from 46 appearances, and Smith Rowe racked up seven goals and seven assists in 37 games, but perhaps more importantly, they helped to get fans back on side and were shaped by the manager.

Ultimately, it is a lot to ask of Moore, but given the esteem in which he is held by so many in the know, it feels more like a matter of when and not if Postecoglou starts handing him more and more game time and, given the pressure he currently finds himself under, why not now?

The unpredictable nature of Tottenham Hotspur's form this season continues to be a problem for Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian's side dismantled an incredibly talented Aston Villa outfit last Sunday, but fell to a 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray during the week and lost to Ipswich Town on the weekend.

The Tractor Boys were still without a Premier League victory heading into the game, and while they have some talented players in their side, they were massive underdogs.

Yet, the North Londoners managed to fall apart totally, and while there were plenty of poor performances across the board, one player once again stood out for the wrong reasons, a player who has become a real liability this season: Radu Dragusin.

Dragusin's dreadful form

Yes, arguably the worst player on the pitch yesterday afternoon was Romanian centre-back Dragusin, and while a poor performance here or there is forgivable, it's not been just one bad performance from the 22-year-old this year.

He's made nine appearances for the team so far, and while he did look quite good against Villa and Manchester City, he's generally looked out of his depth in defence.

For example, Spurs writer Alasdair Gold awarded the defender just a 3/10 match rating for his performance on Sunday, a 3/10 for his display against Galatasaray during the week, and a paltry 6/10 against Championship side Coventry City in September.

Moreover, he started in the defeat to Newcastle United earlier in the season and got himself sent off early in the game against Qarabağ, only for his teammates to save his skin by taking their chances in front of goal.

Lastly, his underlying numbers aren't all that impressive, with FBref ranking him in just the top 41% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues for blocks, the top 43% for clearances, the top 45% for interceptions, the bottom 42% for passes completed and the bottom 13% for tackles, all per 90.

In all, the former Genoa ace isn't doing enough to justify his position as Postecoglou's third-choice centre-back, but the good news is that recent reports have linked the North Londoners with someone who could be the dream upgrade.

Spurs' dream Dragusin upgrade

Now, there are plenty of promising defenders out there at the moment, but according to a report from the Boot Room late last week, Spurs are incredibly keen on Sporting CP's Ousmane Diomande.

The report claims that the North Londoners see the 20-year-old as a potential long-term replacement for Cristian Romero should the Argentine leave the club in the near future.

However, given the interest from other top teams such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, confirmed in the story, they'd do well to act on their interest as soon as possible, regardless of what happens to Romero, as the Ivorian could replace Dragusin instead.

That said, it's a move that would cost Daniel Levy and Co a pretty penny, as according to the report, the "immense" centre-back, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has a release clause of £68m. While that's a seriously significant amount, it could prove value for money down the line.

For example, despite being so young, the Abidjan-born titan has made 69 appearances for the Portuguese giants and played a crucial role in their league triumph last season.

Moreover, the 6 foot 3 "leader", as dubbed by Portuguese football writer Kevin Fernandes, has become a crucial member of the Côte d'Ivoire national team, earning eight senior caps so far and starting two games in their Africa Cup of Nations winning campaign this year.

Lastly, when we directly compare the former Midtjylland prospect's underlying numbers to Dragusin's, there is only one winner.

For example, while the Sporting ace comes out second best in a couple of metrics such as progressive passes and blocks, he comes out way ahead in most others, including non-penalty expected goals plus assists, passing accuracy, shot and goal-creating actions, tackles and tackles won, interceptions, errors leading to a shot, ball recoveries and aerial duels won, all per 90.

Ultimately, Dragusin has shown his talent in glimpses, but it is clear that he's not up to the standard Spurs or Postecoglou require. Therefore, Levy and Co should do what they can to sign Diomande in 2025 before someone else does.

Tottenham Hotspur are now preparing to lodge a bid for a Premier League youngster who's "going to be a star", according to a report.

Tottenham transfer rumours

Speaking to Spurs News, transfer insider Graeme Bailey recently detailed that signing a left-sided defender is likely to be Ange Postecoglou's main target in the January transfer window, saying:

“From what I’m hearing, I think especially now a left-sided centre-back looks to be the priority because that’s the area they are most short in. They cannot afford another major injury there.”

However, it is clear that Postecoglou is keen to bolster his squad in a number of other areas too, with Manchester City winger Jack Grealish now on the radar, while Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Hugo Larsson has also been linked with a switch to N17.

A number of players are clearly being considered by Postecoglou, and one of the Premier League's breakout stars could potentially be in line for a move to the capital as well if reports from Spain are to be believed.

Brighton's Facundo Buonanotte, who is currently on loan at Leicester City, has now emerged as a subject of interest for Tottenham, with the club willing to fight to ensure they win the race for his signature.

The report states that a Spurs bid is currently being prepared, with the Seagulls apparently willing to let the 19-year-old leave for a fee of €50m (£41m), amidst interest from several other clubs, including current employers Leicester.

At the moment, Buananotte is enjoying his time on loan at Leicester, and it is clear to see why, given that he has made a flying start to the Premier League campaign, recording five goal contributions in his opening nine games.

Buananotte destined for the top

Some members of the media have tipped the midfielder to go on to great things, with talkSPORT's Jack Johnson suggesting that he is "going to be a star" after an impressive performance earlier this season.

The starlet's ability going forward could make him a perfect fit in a Postecoglou system, with Spurs recently being praised for their "entertaining" and attacking style of play by former striker Dimitar Berbatov.

Not only that, but the Leicester loanee is also more than capable of pitching in defensively, placing in the 99th percentile for tackles per 90 and the 98th percentile for blocks per 90 compared to his positional peers over the past year.

Should Buonanotte become available at some point in the future, then Spurs should undoubtedly pursue his signature, however it would not be a surprise if Brighton hardened their stance on letting him leave if he continues to impress in a Leicester shirt.