Since the arrival of Ange Postecoglou last summer, Tottenham Hotspur have stolen the headlines in the transfer window on more than one occasion, selling Harry Kane to Bayern Munich before welcoming the likes of James Maddison and Micky van de Ven. Now, with the January transfer window well underway, they’ve once again been busy when it comes to incomings.
Tottenham transfer news
Two weeks into the window, Spurs have already signed two reinforcements for Postecoglou, with both Radu Dragusin and Timo Werner. Dragusin is a particularly impressive arrival and hands the Lilywhites a much-needed defensive boost, given injuries to both Cristian Romero and Van de Ven this season.
Werner, meanwhile, has the chance to make up for lost time in the Premier League, having struggled to make an impact at Chelsea before moving back to RB Leipzig. Under Postecoglou, it will be interesting to see whether the German finally makes his mark on English football.
With those two deals signed and sealed, those in North London have the opportunity to turn their attention elsewhere and perhaps even towards the summer transfer window, in which they could land a free transfer. According to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth, Spurs are still eyeing a move to sign Lloyd Kelly, whose Bournemouth contract is set to expire in the summer, meaning that any interested party can begin negotiating a free deal this month. Sheth told GiveMeSport that AC Milan and Juventus are also keen.
“They’ve kept an eye on the Lloyd Kelly situation. He’s only got six months left on his contract. AC Milan and Juventus are talking to his representatives over a pre-contract agreement. Remember, when it comes to a pre-contract agreement, you don’t need to talk to the club, you can just talk straight to the player because the player is allowed to do that. There is still a possibility that Lloyd Kelly will stay at Bournemouth at least until the end of the season and maybe even sign a new contract because Bournemouth have open talks over a new deal with Lloyd Kelly, but he holds all the cards here.”
“Incredible” Kelly can complete Postecoglou’s defence
With Dragusin, Postecoglou now has three standout options to choose from in the centre-back role when Romero and Van de Ven are available. But a fourth option to take the place of Ben Davies and allow the Welshman to return to his natural role of left-back could complete the Australian’s backline in North London. Kelly’s stats in certain areas show that he’s more than capable of stepping in for Davies.
|
Player |
Progressive Carries Per 90 |
Progressive Passes Per 90 |
Tackles Won Per 90 |
Recoveries Per 90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Lloyd Kelly |
1.05 |
3.82 |
1.05 |
7.37 |
|
Ben Davies |
0.90 |
5.80 |
1.50 |
4 |
It’s clear to see why former Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil was such a fan of Kelly, who has been linked with Spurs for months, given the numbers. The ex-Cherries boss said after his side defeated Liverpool last season:
“I thought Lloyd was incredible. I think he had a 12-week ankle injury followed by a six-week calf injury. Didn’t have much time in between, and then came back today having not trained much, to play left back against one of the best wingers in the world. I thought he showed everything, the potential he has to be a top defender. I thought it was a very, very impressive performance against a top attacker.”