This week Tottenham Hotspur’s Fabricio Paratici gave a question and answer session in which he discussed the club’s transfers during the summer window. With a large number of arrivals and departures going to the end, there was a lot to analyze.
Paratici’s role remains somewhat undefined, with ‘Managing Director of Soccer’ being a newly created role at the club. The information out there suggests that he was brought in for a degree of football knowledge and contacts that Daniel Levy could not match.
With the incorporation of several players of international quality, fans must judge their first period of activity as a qualified success. There may be a modicum of disappointment at not getting more star names, but the results are a far cry from the initial pandemic-related frugality of Levy’s adjusted expectations. In all positions on the field, Tottenham have improved with their transfers.
Tottenham Hotspur Summer Transfers
Hotspur stopping the shots
The first of Tottenham Hotspur’s transfers came in the form of Atalanta’s number one goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini on loan. With a permanent movement possible, and with no prospects of young goalkeepers in sight, such an outcome seems likely.
He was Atalanta’s first-choice goalkeeper during their national and European campaigns last season. The Italian impressed between the sticks and already has a streak of international appearances to his name. It’s an improvement over the now-deceased Joe Hart (Celtic) and Paulo Gazzaniga (Fulham).
Hugo Lloris isn’t getting any younger, and it’s possible that Gollini is being groomed to eventually inherit the initial time slot. Despite conceding against Paços de Ferreira, on the whole he seemed positionally secure and on the ball in the European play-offs.
Defending Tottenham’s transfer business
The addition of Emerson Royal and Christian Romero represents solid and necessary businesses. While it will be difficult to completely replace Toby Alderweireld, Romero seems well placed to take on a leadership role at the rear. It could very well prove to be the required defensive centerweight.
Three consecutive Premier League clean sheets for the Eric Dier-Davinson Sánchez pair have been impressive (and somewhat surprising). Displacing them thus becomes a matter of meritocratic determination. But as the season progresses and Tottenham compete on multiple fronts, Romero should have every chance to justify his £ 45 million fee.
The deadline for the transfer from Emerson Royal to Tottenham is one of greater uncertainty. Journalist Tim Vickery called him “a bit unstable”, noting that he only played once for Brazil during the Copa América, and that was a dead rubber match. He has only three Barcelona appearances to his name and blew hot and cold during his time at Real Betis. It definitely has potential, having shown flashes of quality. But it is a gamble.
At least he has a place on the team, and Serge Aurier leaves by mutual consent. Along with the transfers of Juan Foyth (to Villareal) and Danny Rose (Watford) away from Tottenham, Aurier’s contract termination hopefully marks the beginning of greater defensive enthusiasm and qualitative cohesion at the rear.
Midfield transfers
In the old football cliché, Oliver Skipp’s return from his loan to Norwich City “feels like a transfer.” In fact, his performances thus far represent a marked improvement over Harry Winks’. It certainly softens the blow of team player Moussa Sissoko’s loss to Watford for £ 3 million.
Another future substitute may come in the form of Pape Matar Sarr from Metz. In Paratici’s words, the defensive midfielder, who has been loaned to Metz during the season, is “one of the most talented in Europe.” The Senegalese international is one to look to the future for.
In the immediate here and now, the £ 21.6 million Eric Lamela-Bryan Gil swap deal is an interesting deal. Lamela has been a fantastic servant to the club, running and his opponents on the ground. But whatever sentimental attachment there may be, he didn’t have first-team quality for a team pursuing elite status.
Gil is a top-level Spanish international (and also an Olympic medalist). He has shown his athletic and soccer skills multiple times, and he will certainly push for a starting job in his case. But the current setup leaves attackers wandering, relying on their teammates to fill in the spots and race into space. Gil will certainly have to tailor his open-man game to fit the bill.
No future business
Contrary to intuition, the longest transfer history for Tottenham this window culminated in the maintenance of the pre-war status quo for Harry Kane. Many fans had a sense of inevitability with his departure, so the fact that the England captain sticks around is a definite advantage. It’s professional enough not to disturb team cohesion or squad morale, and it will provide firepower and a backbone for attack.
There may be a feeling of disappointment that a backup striker was not brought in. Arguably Son Heung-min can play in the middle, as he has shown against Manchester City and in past seasons. But if Kane were to succumb to injury (as he seems to so often do), then the Spurs might not be up front.
Troy Parrott was loaned out to MK Dons, but youth prospect Dane Scarlett remains. You may be given some playing time in the Europa Conference League, but there are question marks about your willingness to take a first-team position. Even the temporary services of someone like Lautaro Martínez may have facilitated that transition.
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