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Johnson upgrade: Spurs could unlock Solanke with £34m "1v1 specialist"

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Tottenham Hotspur got their Premier League campaign underway in underwhelming fashion last night with a 1-1 draw away to Leicester City.

Ange Postecoglou's side were far and away the better team in the first half but struggled to put away their chances before Jamie Vardy punished them in the second 45.

There were a couple of good performers for the North Londoners, such as goalscorer Pedro Porro, but there were more disappointing displays, especially in attack.

One of those who failed to provide much was Brennan Johnson, and if the Lilywhites want to get the most out of Dominic Solanke this season, they may want to consider signing a new rightwinger. Interestingly, they have already been linked with someone who'd be the perfect solution this summer.

Johnson and Solanke vs Leicester

So, the first thing to point out is that while Johnson is a talented winger, and certainly of the level required to play in the Premier League, there are still question marks over whether he's good enough to play for a top side like Spurs, and unfortunately for him, his performance last night did little to sway those concerns.

In his 79 minutes on the pitch, he struggled to have any impact at all, and aside from a shot in the first half that was straight at the Foxes' keeper, he looked largely clueless on the ball and seemingly unable to time a run off of it.

Unsurprisingly, he failed to impress football.london's Spurs correspondent, Alasdair Gold, who gave him a 4/10 at full-time and wrote that he was 'not decisive enough in his play.'

In contrast, Solanke looked lively on his debut for the club, and while he'll be disappointed that he couldn't put away the chances he had, the signs were positive, and given that it was his first game in about three weeks, the rustiness is entirely understandable.

The £65m marksman looks like he could be the goalscorer that Postecoglou and the fans have been after ever since Harry Kane left last summer, but to get the most out of him, a new rightwinger might be needed, and the ideal candidate was already linked with the club earlier this summer.

How Coman could unlock Solanke

Yes, the player in question is Bayern Munich ace Kingsley Coman, who was touted for a move to Spurs earlier this month.

The report revealed that the North Londoners are keen to sign a new wide player this summer, and the Frenchman was one of the players they were interested in.

The good news for Daniel Levy and Co is that other reports from this month claimed that Bayern would be willing to sell the talented winger for just £34m, or better yet, loan him out for the season.

However, would the former Paris Saint-Germain gem really help unlock Solanke more than Johnson? Yes, yes, he would.

The primary reason the "1v1 specialist", as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, would be a better teammate for the striker than the former Forest man is that over the last two seasons, he has maintained a more impressive goal involvement-to-game ratio.

For example, in his 62 appearances across the 22/23 and 23/24 campaigns, he produced 24 goals and assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement once every 2.58 games.

In contrast, the Welshman produced 28 goals and assists in 82 games across the same period, which breaks down to a goal involvement on average every 2.92 games.

Just imagine how much more effective the former Bournemouth ace would be playing alongside the rapid Frenchman, who'd either be able to provide him with a brilliant pass to bury in the back of the net or terrify defenders with his brilliant skills and, therefore, open up more space for the Englishman to exploit himself.

Lastly, the Bayern ace has been playing at the highest level for most of his career, so he could bring a much-needed winning mentality to Postecoglou's squad, which could help them avoid collapses like the one they suffered against Leicester.

Ultimately, while Johnson isn't a bad player, he doesn't look like the type of winger who will supercharge Solanke or help Spurs climb up the league. Therefore, Levy and Co should return for Coman before the window slams shut.

Coach says £152k-p/w star is not in his plans after contact from Tottenham

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After an approach from Tottenham Hotspur, one manager has admitted that a £152,000-per-week player is no longer in his plans for the coming season.

Spurs spend £115 million on three senior signings this summer

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has been backed with three key senior signings this summer, costing a total of around £115 million, following a promising debut campaign in charge of the Lilywhites where they sealed Europa League qualification.

Postecoglou hasn't exactly got off to a flyer this season, dropping points away to newly-promoted Leicester City after spurning a host of chances, but the arrivals of striker Dominic Solanke, English sensation Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert from Burnley provide the Australian with much-needed strength in depth in key areas.

A long Premier League campaign awaits for the north Londoners, where they have the added pressure of Europa League games, and Postecoglou will be hoping his side provide more cutting edge in the games to come after their 1-1 draw at the King Power on Monday.

"Yeah, look disappointing outcome," said Postecoglou on Tottenham's draw with Leicester.

"Very dominant first half, really wasteful in front of goal. We started the second half simile. First 15-20 minutes very dominant, wasteful but you know at 1-0 there is always an opportunity for the opposition to come back into the game. That's what happened and we lost our way for 15 or 20 minutes. We lost our composure and the crowd got behind them, but again finished strong. Just really disappointed we lacked a little cutting edge in the front third, made some poor decisions, lacked some composure and didn't get the reward our football deserved."

Luckily for Spurs, there is still time to strengthen, as the summer window doesn't close for another 11 days.

While they've made a trio of new additions, Postecoglou has also watched 12 players in total depart N17, either on loan or permanently. There appears to be squad space available to exploit, and one proven player who could be available for a pretty cheap price is Juventus winger Federico Chiesa.

The £152,000-per-week forward's contract expires next summer, meaning Juve may well for just £13 million as the clock ticks towards deadline day.

Thiago Motta declares Chiesa can leave after Tottenham approach

As per information relayed by football.london, Tottenham have made an enquiry over signing Chiesa this summer, as have Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Man United.

Juve boss Thiago Motta has also indirectly given them the green-light to move, as the Italian admits that his international attacker won't feature in his plans moving forward.

"Our position on Federico Chiesa hasn't changed," said Motta on Chiesa's future at Juve.

"He’s not part of our plans. We've talked. It's a demonstration of the respect I have for everyone. Transparency, clarity, that's the way I communicate with my players."

Lost the ball 13x: Ange must drop 5/10 Spurs man who was as bad as Son

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Tottenham Hotspur kickstarted their Premier League campaign with a 1-1 draw away to Leicester City last night, and while it wasn't a disastrous result, it was undeniably disappointing.

Ange Postecoglou's side are aiming to make it back into the Champions League places this year, although to do that, they will have to be far more clinical going forward.

While there were a couple of good performances for the North Londoners, there were also plenty of poor ones, including from club captain Son Heung-min.

Son's game vs Leicester

Yes, despite being an immensely talented winger and undoubtedly a modern great of the Premier League, Son looked like a totally different player last night.

The South Korean international was wasteful in possession, struggled to create chances of real quality and just looked totally off the pace.

The former Bayer Leverkusen star didn't impress Express journalist Amos Murphy either, who awarded him just a 4/10 on the night, writing that he 'failed to link up with the rest of Spurs' forwards' and 'broke down promising attacking situations for Tottenham on more than one occasion.

While harsh, this assessment of the 32-year-old's display is backed up by his statistics from the game, as in his 89 minutes on the pitch, he failed to score or assist a goal, racked up an expected goals figure of just 0.03, took one shot that was blocked, maintained a passing accuracy of just 85%, completed a single cross, lost the ball 13 times, was dribbled past three times and lost six duels.

Overall, it was a really poor game from the captain, although his teammate on the opposite wing was just as disappointing.

Brenan Johnson's game vs Leicester

Yes, one of Spurs' other disappointing performers last night was Brennan Johnson.

The Welsh international was given the nod to start on the right of the front three, and while there were little moments here and there in which he looked okay, he ended up hurting his chances of starting the next game more than anything else.

Like his captain, the former Nottingham Forest ace struggled to provide clear-cut chances for his teammates to put away and, bar one or two moments, he never looked like a threat himself.

Unsurprisingly, it was a display that left Murphy unimpressed, although he was somewhat kinder to the 23-year-old, giving him a 5/10 in the night and writing that he was 'a passenger for the most part' and 'struggled to impose himself on the contest.'

This assessment really should have seen the wideman receive a 4/10 as his senior teammate did, and his statistics from the game back that up.

In his 78 minutes of action, he failed to score or assist a goal, produced an expected goal and assists figure of just 0.16, took one shot on target, was unable to complete a dribble, maintained a passing accuracy of just 77%, failed to complete a cross, committed one foul, lost the ball 13 times and was dribbled past once.

In all, it was a game that should see him drop to the bench for the next one, especially as Dejan Kulusevski injected some much-needed energy when he came on in the 79th minute.

The Swedish international has been inconsistent during his time in North London, but when he's on it, he is one of the best attackers in the country and, therefore, he should be given an opportunity to get his season underway at home against Everton this weekend.

Ultimately, it wasn't the best of starts for Postecoglou last night, but the silver lining is that they can forget all about it if they can kick into gear and go on a run in the coming fixtures, which will be made easier if Kulusevski can play a more meaningful role.

Monaco signing replacement for £34m ace as they expect him to join Spurs

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Tottenham may be a lot closer to making another new signing than widely reported, with their target's club closing in on a replacement in the final stages of the transfer window.

Spurs sign Odobert out of the blue

Within an hour of news breaking of Tottenham's interest in then-Burnley winger Wilson Odobert, the club had confirmed the arrival of the teenager in a deal believed to be worth in excess of £25m, adding further firepower to Ange Posteoglou's frontline ahead of the new Premier League season.

The winger will not receive a work permit in time to make his debut in their Premier League opener against Leicester City, but waxed lyrical about his new club upon his arrival.

"First and foremost, Tottenham is a big club, and it’s hugely ambitious, too. I think the club and myself share the same ambitions. We’re on the same wavelength," he explained in his first Lilywhites interview.

"It’s a tough ask to come and play here against Tottenham… from the outset I was hugely impressed, by the stadium and the supporters. Now here I am as a Spurs player! I’m really up for it; to do everything I can, to fight hard, to succeed in winning the fans over, and help the club get results."

The winger is Tottenham's fourth senior summer signing following the record addition of Dominic Solanke alongside a high profile move for teenage talent Archie Gray and a return for Timo Werner on another loan deal from RB Leipzig.

More departures are expected, with Oliver Skipp on the verge of completing a move to Leicester City and both Giovani Lo Celso and Manor Solomon both up for sale. But the incomings may not be over, and now Spurs have been given the clearest indication that another signing may be imminent.

Monaco sign Vanderson replacement

That comes with French side Monaco edging ever closer to signing right back Jordan Teze from PSV Eindhoven in a deal worth £9m. It comes amid rumoured Spurs interest in current Monaco right back Vanderson, with recent suggestions that Ange Postecoglou's side are even preparing a bid for the defender.

Though Vanderson still has four years left on his £49,500 per week deal in the south of France, an exit has been strongly mooted this summer.

As per Foot Mercato [Via Sport Witness], the Rouge et Blanc now expect the departure of the defender, with Brazilian sources suggesting that the Lilywhites are preparing a 32m euro (£27.2m) offer to take him to north London.

It may not be enough to convince them to part ways with the Brazilian, with reports earlier this summer suggesting that Monaco were holding out for 40m euros (£34m), though given that they have now signed a replacement they may well be more willing to compromise.

Spurs could land Solanke his dream signing in sensational £100kp/w "wizard"

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After waiting all summer, the Premier League is finally back, and later on tonight, Tottenham Hotspur will kickstart their campaign to break into the Champions League places.

It's set to be a tricky opening fixture for Ange Postecoglou's side, as an away game against one of the newly promoted sides, Leicester City in this case, can always be a bit of a banana skin.

However, the Australian has had a reasonably productive preseason on the pitch and a brilliant one off it, so he should be confident going into the match.

The North Londoners have signed several exciting youngsters this summer, such as Archie Gray, Yang Min-Hyeok and Wilson Odobert. Still, the best addition of all is undoubtedly Dominic Solanke, although, with the window open for another couple of weeks, Daniel Levy and Co could go out there and bring in a dream teammate for the Englishman.

Solanke's move to Tottenham Hotspur

The North Londoners completed the £65m signing of Solanke over a week ago now, and while he wasn't able to make an appearance for the team during preseason, there is an expectation that he'll make his debut against the Foxes tonight.

He might not have been the first name on the wishlist of many fans at the start of the summer, but it is apparent that Postecoglou wanted him, and based on his form for Bournemouth last season, it's not hard to see why.

In 42 appearances for the Cherries, the 26-year-old scored a mammoth 21 goals and provided four assists for good measure, meaning he averaged a goal involvement once every 1.68 games.

This impressive output would have made him the top goalscorer in the Lilywhites squad last season and the second most productive player overall, producing just two fewer goal involvements than Son Heung-min, and there is no shame in that.

In all, while he's cost Tottenham a significant amount of money, he could help fire the team up the league this season, especially if Levy and Co can finally secure one of the club's long-term targets in the coming weeks.

Why Eberechi Eze would be a dream teammate for Solanke

Yes, the target in question is Crystal Palace talisman Eberechi Eze, who has been touted for a move to several clubs, including Tottenham, all summer.

Links between the Lilywhites and the Palace ace were already around last year, but they really took off before and during the Euros this summer, with reports suggesting that an offer of £60m would be enough to activate a release clause in the player's contract.

However, recent reports have claimed that said release clause is no longer valid, meaning we don't know just how much the Eagles would demand for their star player.

That said, with the North Londoners being named the wealthiest club in London earlier this year, they should go all out and flex their financial muscle before the window slams shut by bringing the former Queens Park Rangers star to N17, as he'd be incredible alongside Solanke.

There are a couple of reasons why he'd be so great with the talented centre-forward, and the first is rather simple: his output.

For example, in just 31 appearances last season, the £100k-per-week "wizard", as Declan Rice dubbed him, scored 11 goals and provided six assists, equating to a goal involvement every 1.82 games.

Just imagine how dangerous the former Cherries poacher would be with such an effective teammate beside him, someone capable of pulling defenders away with their goal threat or talented enough to play a pinpoint pass into his path to bury himself.

This brings us to the second reason that the pair could form a dangerous partnership: the Eagles ace's positional versatility.

Across his career to date, the 26-year-old has started games all over the pitch, but more often than not, he's playing in midfield or out on the left, meaning he could fit into the Spurs lineup in a couple of ways and therefore have more of a chance to form a true understanding with the former Liverpool striker.

Moreover, his ability to shift from the middle of the park to wide and attacking positions could also help free up more space for Solanke to exploit, thus providing him with far more chances to score.

Ultimately, while it seems like a deal that might just be beyond Tottenham now, if Levy and Co really wanted to give Postecoglou the best chance of succeeding this season, then going all out to sign Eze in the coming weeks would be a brilliant way to do so.

Spurs could land their own White with exciting late swoop for £50m "beast"

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Tottenham Hotspur kick off their Premier League campaign with a trip away from London to take on Leicester City at the King Power stadium tonight.

Spurs are set to do business with their opponents, with Oliver Skipp due to join in a £25m deal, but the midfielder will not be available to play even if they announce him before the match.

Ange Postecoglou could hand debuts to Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert, and Dominic Solanke, who have all been added to the squad this summer, albeit Bergvall was signed back in February.

There could be more to come before the end of the summer transfer window, though, as Spurs have been linked with an interest in adding another defender to the group.

Spurs interest in Bundesliga ace

Studio Futbol reported earlier this month that the Lilywhites are one of a number of teams interested in signing Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Piero Hincapie.

The outlet claimed that Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, and Liverpool are also keen on the Ecuador international, who was once described as a "charismatic" defender by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

It was revealed that Xabi Alonso, who led Leverkusen to an incredible unbeaten Bundesliga season last term, has asked the colossus to remain in Germany, as he is a key figure in the Spaniard's side.

TEAMtalk previously claimed that it would take a fee of around £50m to tempt the Bundesliga champions into parting ways with the 22-year-old star, and it remains to be seen whether or not Tottenham are prepared to pay that much for him.

If Postecoglou can land the talented defender before the end of the summer transfer window, though, then the Leverkusen star could be his own version of Arsenal enforcer Ben White.

Why Piero Hincapie is like Ben White

Albeit on opposite sides of the pitch, both players are central defenders by trade who have been converted into full-backs who can invert centrally to form a back three.

Hincapie - who has been described as a “beast” by football scout Antonio Mango - is a centre-back who can also play at left-back, providing his manager with plenty of tactical opportunities, whilst White emerged as a centre-back earlier in his career before being converted into a right-back by Mikel Arteta.

As you can see in the table above, both players are comfortable in possession and win the majority of their duels at the back, at Bundesliga and Premier League level respectively.

Hincapie has averaged 5.11 progressive passes and 2.10 progressive carries per 90 over the last 365 days, whilst White has averaged 5.82 progressive passes and 1.15 progressive carries per 90 in the same period.

The Leverkusen star ranked within the top 1% of his positional peers for progressive carries and the top 15% for progressive passes, which shows that he is sublime in possession and constantly looks to bring the ball forward for his team.

Therefore, Hincapie could be Postecoglou's own version of White by offering a versatile and progressive option to play across the back four when needed this season, as competition for Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie.

Tottenham now preparing £27m+ bid to sign "obscene" new defender for Ange

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Just 12 days away from transfer deadline day, Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly preparing an offer to sign a defensive reinforcement who would be their sixth signing of the summer.

Tottenham transfer news

It looked for some time as though Spurs' transfer window was going to be one focused on the future rather than welcoming the marquee signing that they arguably so desperately needed. Dominic Solanke's arrival has since ticked that box, however, with the Lilywhites finally getting their replacement for Harry Kane a year on from his departure to Bayern Munich.

The north London club have since followed that up with another attacking arrival too, signing Wilson Odobert from Burnley, who stood out despite suffering relegation with Burnley last season.

The winger expressed his delight over the move, telling the club's official media channels via Football London: "First and foremost Tottenham is a big club and it's hugely ambitious too. I think the club and myself share the same ambitions, we're pretty much on the same wavelength.

"I've got a decent amount of pace. I like to take people on in one-on-one situations and dribble, I like to get on the ball and have plenty of touches. I like to bring other in, to entertain and at the same time enjoy my football too. I really feel I'll be part of a great project here which enjoys fantastic support and a superb stadium."

Now, having strengthened in attack, the Lilywhites have reportedly turned their attention towards their backline. According to journalist Bruno Andrade, Spurs are preparing an offer to sign Vanderson worth €32m (£27m) plus add-ons, with talks ongoing between themselves and AS Monaco.

The right-back would likely arrive to replace Emerson Royal, who recently left for AC Milan, in a move that could also give Spurs fans a hint that Archie Gray will be seen as a midfielder rather than a right-back under Ange Postecoglou.

"Obscene" Vanderson can provide backup for Porro

There's no doubt that the right-back spot is Pedro Porro's to lose in North London, but those in north London saw just how big a drop-off in quality their side suffered whenever the Spaniard was unavailable. By signing Vanderson, that problem could be solved. The Brazilian, still just 23 years old, has impressed during his time at Monaco.

Whilst Vanderson struggled to produce the same impressive output as Porro, he excelled off the ball when winning back possession, which is a vital trait for a potential Postecoglou player to have in abundance.

Their next Modric: Spurs now plotting move for £20m Bissouma replacement

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The Tottenham Hotspur squad between the years of 2007 and 2009 was filled to the brim with Premier League cult heroes and iconic players of the competition. It was a period for Spurs in which they won the League Cup in 2008, their most recent trophy.

One of the players in that Spurs squad who was just breaking through was Premier League legend Gareth Bale. Although he suffered a bad injury midway through the 2007/08 season, Bale’s quality was on show as he scored three goals and an assist from left-back. The following season, he began to play on the wing, a move which would transform his career.

In that same squad, Spurs had the likes of Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov as centre-forward options, a trio of iconic Premier League players, The League Cup final of 2008 was a game in which Berbatov scored for Spurs from the penalty spot to help them on their way to a famous victory over Chelsea.

Legendary midfielder Luka Modric was also in the Spurs squad around that time, although he signed in the summer of 2008 and missed the triumph of the League Cup. The Croatian played 160 times for the Lilywhites and had a superb impact on their squad before a move to Real Madrid in 2012.

Looking at the present day and ahead to the future, Spurs have been linked with another midfielder in recent days who could join the club and have a similar impact to that of Modric on their midfield.

Spurs target Serie A midfielder

The player in question here is Juventus and Italy midfielder Manuel Locatelli. The 26-year-old had an important part to play for the Old Lady last season, but could well depart the club this summer.

According to a report from Football Insider, the Lilywhites are believed to be 'plotting a move' for the midfielder this summer. Locatelli is 'seen as a potential replacement' for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg by the hierarchy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Dane left Spurs this summer to join Marseille on a loan deal with an obligation to buy for a reported £17m in a year's time.

In terms of a price for Locatelli this summer, the Turin side would be willing to do business for the Italian at a fee of around £20m. However, he is under contract for another four years, meaning the Italian giants would hold a lot of power in any negotiations.

How Locatelli could replicate Modric

Last season, he played 40 times in all competitions, which included 36 appearances in Serie A. He scored once in the league and grabbed four assists, as well as two more in the Coppa Italia as Juve went on to lift the trophy, which was Massimiliano Allegri’s final one as manager of the Italian giants.

Locatelli, who has 28 caps for Gli Azzurri so far, is a midfield “maestro”, as football talent scout Jacek Kulig describes him. He sits in midfield and pulls the strings, dictating the tempo his side plays at. Much like Modric has done over the years for Spurs and then Real Madrid, Locatelli is a controller in the middle of the park.

Modric has received such high praise over his career, for all of his brilliance on the ball to control the game and create chances. Brazil legend and former Los Blancos midfielder Kaka praised the Croatian for the fact he makes football look "easy to play", before explaining how the beautiful game is "like a dance for him".

A midfielder who can control the game from deeper areas is perhaps not a profile Spurs have in their squad when considering their current midfielders' on-the-ball traits. The likes of James Maddison possess creativity in the final third while Pape Matar Sarr is more of a carry-first midfielder, but a dictator of play from a deeper role is something they don’t have.

Locatelli could also be a good replacement for Yves Bissouma, who has had a tough start to the season at Spurs, after his internal suspension for an off-field incident. Should Spurs sign Locatelli, he could be a good option to replace the former Brighton man in the starting XI, who is also a carry-first midfielder like Sarr. Again, it would add excellent versatility to the Spurs squad.

Locatelli could become that player for Ange Postecoglou and help add a new profile to the exciting project in north London. In many ways, he can replicate the impact Modric himself had at the club.

This is also reflected in his stats on analysis site FBref, which show the Italian’s quality when on the ball. Last season in Serie A, he averaged 6.94 progressive passes and 6.85 passes into the final third per 90 minutes. That ranked him in the top 4% and 3% of Serie A midfielders respectively.

It is also worth noting that the 26-year-old completes more switches each game than most in his position - 1.02 per 90 to be exact. That ranks him in the top 3% of midfielders in Italy’s top flight and shows just how much he keeps things ticking over in midfield by constantly looking to find teammates in space.

For all of the on-ball qualities the former Sassuolo midfielder would bring to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he is also more than competent out of possession. Last season, the Italian averaged 2.81 tackles and interceptions and 5.12 ball recoveries per 90 minutes.

Football analyst Ben Mattinson described Locatelli as an "artist in midfield", and it is hard to disagree with him given the stats. There are definitely similarities to Modric, who is one of the best midfield controllers of all time, and he could replicate what he did in a Spurs shirt.

For just £20m, this seems like a deal Spurs should not miss out on, and would be a brilliant acquisition to add quality and a unique profile to their squad to help reach the next level under Postecoglou.

Spurs could instantly land dream signing for Odobert in £60m PL "monster"

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The Premier League is finally back, and after a long summer of international football and transfer rumours flying here, there, and everywhere, Tottenham Hotspur look ready to fight for a place in the top four.

Ange Postecoglou led his side to a respectable fifth-placed finish in his first campaign at the club, but with that experience under his belt and a plethora of new signings added to the squad, Champions League football has to be the goal.

Speaking of signings, there is certainly an argument to be made that, as things stand, the Lilywhites have had one of the best summers in the league. With Archie Gray and Yan Min-Hyeok secured for the future and Dominic Solanke signed for the here and now, there is much to be excited about in N17.

However, even though the former Bournemouth ace cost the North Londoners a whopping £65m last week, they are still making moves in the market, most notably with the capture of Burnley ace Wilson Odobert.

The young winger is an incredibly exciting addition to the team, and with the window open for another two weeks, Daniel Levy and Co could really blow the roof off by bringing in another vastly experienced attacker who'd be a dream teammate for the Frenchman.

Odobert's surprise move to Spurs

The biggest drawback of the modern football landscape is that it's increasingly rare for clubs to pull off surprising transfer deals. Still, it would be fair to say that very few people, if anyone, expected Tottenham to complete the signing of Burnley star Odobert yesterday.

Somehow, the deal had remained off everyone's radar, and yet within a few hours of the first rumours, the BBC had confirmed the Frenchman's £25m move to North London.

Now, that might seem like quite a lot of money for a 19-year-old because, well, it is, but based on his performances for the Clarets last season and the potential so many believe him to have, it may well end up looking like a bargain in the years to come.

For example, despite being so young, he scored three goals and provided three assists in 29 Premier League appearances last season, meaning that he averaged a goal involvement every 4.83 games for a relegation candidate in the toughest league in the world - talk about promising.

Moreover, according to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, the "extraordinary" talent, as dubbed by journalist Andrés Onrubia Ramos, sat in the top 3% of forwards for progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90.

In all, Odobert looks like a brilliant signing for Spurs, although to get even more out of him, the club could now go after a more experienced striker they've been linked with all summer.

Why Toney would be great for Odobert

Yes, the potential target in question is none other than Brentford's wantaway striker Ivan Toney, who has been touted for a move to N17 for months.

Now, some of you may be wondering why the club would want to sign another striker so soon after splashing the cash on Solanke, and frankly, that's a good question, but according to reports earlier this week, that is something they might do, even though he's valued at £60m.

Perhaps it's an admission that Richarlison isn't a clinical enough player to be the club's backup striker when they want to be seriously challenging in all competitions this year, or it may just be a thought process that you can never have too many goalscorers in a team.

Whatever the reason, signing the Bees ace would mean adding some serious quality to the squad, and given his experience in the top flight, he'd be a dream signing for Odobert.

Just imagine if the former Burnley ace was tasked with starting alongside the 28-year-old "monster", as Thomas Frank dubbed him, he would surely feel more confident that whatever chances he created would be put away.

He wouldn't be too far off the mark either, as even when you include last season, which was massively disrupted by his eight-month ban from all footballing activities, the Northampton-born star has racked up a seriously impressive haul of 47 Premier League goal involvements in 83 appearances for Brentford, equating to one every 1.76 games.

Ultimately, while it would be a surprise, adding Toney to the club's rapidly improving attack would be a seriously ambitious move, and his knowhow and experience could prove to be incredibly beneficial for Odobert's development - although they might want to hold out for a lower price for a bit longer.

Bye-Bye Bissouma: Spurs keeping tabs on £34m "monster" upgrade

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Tottenham Hotspur kickstart their Premier League campaign on Monday night with a tricky away game to newly promoted Leicester City.

Ange Postecoglou's side will be looking to go one better than they did last year and qualify for the Champions League, although to do that, they'll need to make sure they're operating at near their best for the next ten months.

With that in mind, the suspension of Yves Bissouma for his misconduct off the pitch could not have come at a worse time for the club, and following an incredibly underwhelming season last year - to be diplomatic - it could be time to move on.

Fortunately, recent reports have again linked the North Londoners to a longstanding transfer target who could be the perfect long-term upgrade on the Mali international.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth via GIVEMESPORT, Tottenham are still interested in Chelsea ace Conor Gallagher.

Yes, following the Englishman's move to Atlético Madrid stalling and his subsequent return to West London, Sheth has claimed that the North Londoners will be "keeping an eye" on the situation.

The Lilywhites have been consistently linked with the Epsom-born midfielder in recent years, but their chances of securing his services looked to be over earlier this month when it appeared his transfer to Atlético was all but sewn up. However, the events of the last week or so have changed the situation.

While some fans may not be delighted with the links returning, Gallagher could be the perfect solution to their Bissouma problem, especially if Levy and Co can get a deal done close to the £34m the Spanish side supposedly agreed to pay.

How Gallagher compares to Bissouma

Okay, so before the pitchforks come out, we aren't saying this move is going to happen, as at this point, who knows where Gallagher is going to end up?

However, if the reports are accurate about Spurs' lingering interest, it's worth comparing him to one of the players he could replace in Postecoglou's squad, Bissouma, as while the Englishman has played all over midfield in West London, he's started a significant number of games in defensive midfield, 59 to be exact, and could therefore be an ideal replacement.

So, how do the pair stack up with one another? Well, as you might expect given the areas they primarily operated in last season, it's the Chelsea ace who comes out miles ahead in terms of raw output, scoring seven goals and providing nine assists in 50 appearances, compared to the Malian's return of zero goals or assists in 28 games.

A better way to compare the two midfielders is to look at their underlying numbers from last season, although unfortunately for the former Brighton & Hove Albion ace, this is another comparison in which he comes out looking significantly weaker than the player who could replace him.

For example, the 24-year-old "pressing and transition monster", as dubbed by analyst EBL, comes out on top in the majority of relevant metrics, including non-penalty expected goals plus assists, actual non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes received, shots and shots on target, key passes, passes into the penalty area and shot and goal-creating actions all per 90.

Shot-creating actions are pieces of play that lead to a shot. These include moments such as a pass, take-on or foul being drawn.

Interestingly, he even comes out on top in a few defensive metrics, like shots and passes blocked, ball recoveries and aerial duels won per 90, highlighting that he can excel in both areas of the pitch.

Ultimately, this is a move that was entirely off the table just a week ago, so whether the Lilywhites can get their hands on Gallagher this summer is anyone's guess, but given Bissouma's disappointing displays last season and his antics off the pitch this year, bringing in the Chelsea man to replace him doesn't seem like the worst idea.