for another depressing time.
So the January transfer window closes and with two players in, a bunch of missed chances and a few big names out, is it enough to keep Conte happy.
Conte apparently wanted three players, the two that arrived didn’t seem to fit the places he wanted to fill, what with no forward player or right wingback.
He got a pair from his and Fabio Paratici’s old club Juventus. The Uruguayan Rodrigo Bentancur a central midfielder and the Swede Dejan Kulusevski, who can play up front but has been mainly used as a right sided midfielder, on the few occasions he’s featured this season.
Of course this being Levy, everything was left to the last minute and this pair looked like they came low down on the list of players they were looking at.
Some will be mightily displeased that Traore wasn’t landed from Wolves, apparently a bit of sun on his back and not playing at wingback made him chose Braca. I don’t know what the fans were more interested in watching, someone who hasn’t got a final ball, or a greased up mass of muscle running.
For attacking players there was the attempt to Luis Diaz, which just led to Liverpool jumping and snapping him up. Meanwhile summer target Dusan Vlahovic was off to Juve.
Meanwhile a deal was finally agreed. £100000 with non-league club Lewes for winger 19 year old Ollie Tanner, which I joked at the time would see Spurs gazumped by a league 2 side but ended up even worse than that with the player not agreeing terms. Christ, they can’t even get a deal for a non-league player.
It was getting to desperation time as Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat became the next player the “manager wanted”. With a midfield full of holding midfielders and no creativity, he wanted another one who can barely get a game for his club. But he was cheaply priced, and this looked like pure Levy.
Then the two were eventually targeted and signed on the final day. Bentancur a better option than Amrabat, who knows about Kulusevski.
Out the door goes all the midfield creativity, though admittedly this season it hasn’t exactly been creative. With Lo Celso, Ndombele and Gil all leaving on loans, while Dele left for good.
Sad to see Dele go but it was inevitable due to his complete drop off in form. A move was required by both parties. Maybe a loan would have been better for Spurs, if he’d done what Lingard did during his loan move last season. We’ll never know. But it’s an odd deal, basically a free until Dele plays a certain amount of games. Could be £10m. Could be £40m. Apparently. But it shows how he has dropped, I mean not that long ago, regarded as one of the best young players in the world, with goals and assists aplenty he was one of the prized assets. Would £40m get you any where close to getting him? No.
We’ll never forget that goal against Palace. The ball in Amsterdam. Or the shithousery. And a lot more…
Dele to Everton: confirmed ✍️
Seems a sad end to what was such a promising first three seasons to his Spurs career. Still not over that goal against Palace pic.twitter.com/cfjPJaJDoo
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) February 1, 2022
It’s a real shame.
Ndombele has gone back to his old club, Lyon. Initially on loan but according to reports with the option to buy that could match the price Spurs paid for their record signing. Now Lyon sold their prize asset Guimaraes to Newcastle for £40m. Well, the Brazilian, along with Diaz, was one of the quality players available during this window. As Spurs were looking at central, more defensive, midfielders, why not go for the best one available. Hell, there was probably a premium Newcastle paid, being Saudi backed Newcastle, while Spurs could have sent Ndombele there got Guimaraes and a bunch of cash as well.
They could also have looked at Dele’s new team-mate Donny van de Beek, a quality player with something to prove, though would his club have allowed Spurs to get him, Everton not seen as a threat.
But they seemed to be looking at Italy.
Surprisingly hiring Pratici whose MO, when at Juventus, was saying to well known players who were out of contract… “Do you want to join the Italian champions, for half a million quid a week?” didn’t quite work out as well at Spurs.
…and Winks is still there…