Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham Hotspur have been very active in the first half of the January transfer window, and it seems they may not be done just yet. They kicked things off by signing Timo Werner on loan from RB Leipzig, with an option to buy for £15m, and then struck a £27m deal to sign centre-back Radu Dragusin from Genoa.
Having strengthened their backline and their attack, Spurs’ focus is now seemingly switching to the middle of the park. It was recently reported that they were planning to “make an investment” in Wolves’ Joao Gomes, “very soon”, and there’s now been a development on that front.
Tottenham feel the need to recruit another option in holding midfield, having lost Yves Bissouma (Mali) and Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal) to Africa Cup of Nations call-ups this month.
Spurs’ Gomes bid now incoming
According to Gavea News, relayed by Sports Witness, Spurs are now preparing a “substantial” offer to sign Gomes. The 22-year-old has been attracting “significant interest” from North London, and Daniel Levy is now ready to step up the pursuit with a formal offer.
Significantly, it’s said that Spurs look set to table a £30m proposal. Gomes’ former club Flamengo are due 10% of the proceeds under the terms of his sale, so Gary O’Neil’s side were always likely to drive a hard bargain, but the hope will be that an agreement can be reached fairly quickly.
“Pitbull” Gomes could give Postecoglou a headache
It’s only been a year since Gomes arrived in English football, but he’s clearly made a big impression on Spurs already. He would make 11 appearances in the second half of last season, seven from the start, and has now gone on to establish himself as a key player under Gary O’Neil this term with 17 starts from 20 league matches.
Gomes was nicknamed “all actioned packed midfielder” by scout Antonio Mango as a result of his aggressive style of play, and the numbers certainly bear that out. He’s made the fourth-most tackles in the Premier League this year (57), and a whopping 10 of those came in a 4-1 win over Brentford in late December as he set a new season-high.
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One criticism of Gomes may be that he takes things a little too far at times. He’s already been booked 10 times during his time at Molineux, and he recently got himself sent off just nine minutes into an FA Cup third-round game at Brentford. The hope will be that this slight recklessness can be ironed out of his game as he gets older.
His promise is clear, but you could question whether signing him would be the wisest use of £30m. Yes, Spurs could be without Bissouma and Sarr until mid-February depending on their progress at AFCON, but when they return, Postecoglou will suddenly have a surplus of options all aged between 21 and 27 – a group that also includes Oliver Skipp, Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – so that may create an issue in terms of ensuring each player gets enough minutes.