The transfer window has been open for three weeks at this point, and despite being in desperate need of some reinforcements, Tottenham Hotspur have made just one signing.
Now, it’s important to say that the £12.5m acquisition of the young goalkeeper Antonín Kinský was a necessity and looks like it could be a brilliant deal to boot, but given the state of the team’s season, it’s not enough.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have been ravaged by injury in defence, and now that Dominic Solanke is out, their options up top look less than ideal.
So, it’s not all that surprising that, over the last week or so, the club have been linked with a whole host of players, including Southampton’s exciting Tyler Dibling, although even with all the hype around him at present, he’s worth millions less than one of Postecoglou’s most essential players.
Tottenham's transfer targets
So, one of the names that keeps coming up in connection with Tottenham this month is Lecce sensation Patrick Dorgu, who’s been pulling up trees in Serie A this season and already has a tally of three goals and one assist in 20 league appearances.
However, while the interest from Spurs certainly feels genuine, recent updates from transfers expert Fabrizio Romao suggest that Manchester United have now gotten ahead of them in the chase.
From the defence to the middle of the park, the Lilywhites have also been credited with an interest in Palmeiras’ midfield destroyer Richard Ríos on more than one occasion this month.
In the words of respected analyst Ben Mattinson, the Colombian international is a “press-resistant” monster with an “engine which allows him to get up and down the pitch all game,” and could therefore be the ideal long-term replacement for the increasingly disappointing Yves Bissouma.
However, he reportedly has a €100m – £84m – release clause in his contract, which could prove an insurmountable barrier.
Now, while defensive and midfield additions are essential for Postecoglou’s side to advance, it’s frontline additions that will excite the fans, and a name heavily linked with the club this week is Southampton gem Dibling.
The 20-year-old is supposedly available for around £55m this month, and while that might sound like a lot for someone so young, his performances this term suggest he’d be more than worth it.
For example, in just 24 appearances, the up-and-coming “game-breaker,” as dubbed by Mattinson, has scored four goals and provided two assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every four games.
However, while that is undeniably impressive for such a young player on such a poor side, his valuation is still dwarfed by that of one of Spurs’ star attackers, who occasionally plays in the same position.
The Spurs' star worth millions more than Dibling
So, to get straight to the point, the player in question is none other than the sensationally gifted Dejan Kulusevski.
The Swedish superstar has been one of the few shining lights for Spurs this season and, according to Football Transfers, is worth up to €73.8m, which comes out to a cool £63.3m, or around £8.3m more than Dibling could cost the club.
Now, that is undoubtedly an enormous valuation, but over the last couple of years, and indeed this season, it would be fair to say it’s more than justified.
For example, in just 33 appearances for Postecoglou this year, and in spite of moving between midfield and right-wing, the “world-class” 24-year-old, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored nine goals and provided eight assists.
That means the former Juventus star is currently averaging a goal involvement every 1.94 games, which, for a team struggling as much as the North Londoners are, is seriously impressive.
Appearances
33
Minutes
2355′
Goals
9
Assists
8
Goal Involvements per Match
0.51
Minutes per Goal Involvement
138.52′
Ultimately, Spurs should still do what they can to sign Dibling this year as he looks like he could go right to the very top and Kulusevski would be a superb player to learn from.
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