'reeking Of Desperation?' - Who Could Spurs Turn To Next?

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Thomas FrankImage source, Getty Images

Image caption,

Thomas Frank took complete arsenic Spurs leader this summertime erstwhile he replaced Ange Postecoglou

Umir Irfan

Football strategies correspondent

It's been a nightmare fewer days for Tottenham.

After reaching an statement to motion England world Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace connected Wednesday, they received nan news that alternatively he is group to join bitter northbound London rivals Arsenal.

Spurs are successful nan marketplace for a precocious value attacking midfield reinforcement. James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski person some suffered superior injuries while Yves Bissouma missed nan opening crippled of nan play successful nan Premier League.

Earlier this summer, a proposed move for Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest fell through.

Fans person been speaking to BBC Sport to vent their vexation astatine nan situation, pinch 1 saying: "Spurs now participate nan last fewer weeks of nan transportation model reeking of desperation."

However, different said: "If he's a Gooner we don't want him. Simple."

With little than 2 weeks of nan model left, nan options for Spurs successful nan transportation marketplace are limited, but location are players that could beryllium to beryllium smart targets should Spurs take to prosecute them.

It will beryllium important to guarantee immoderate caller midfield signing is physical, a bully bearer of nan shot complete distance, technically unafraid erstwhile deeper, and a beardown passer.

BBC Sport looks astatine Spurs' imaginable transportation options and speaks to fans to analyse nan situation.

Who could Spurs target?

Split image of Mikkel Damsgaard, Bilal El Khannouss, Maghnes Akliouche and Tyler DiblingImage source, Getty Images

Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford)

Spurs leader Thomas Frank's erstwhile midfielder was pivotal to Brentford past season, pinch 2 goals and 10 assists. In describing what Frank whitethorn beryllium looking for successful his attacking midfielder, location isn't a amended spot to look than nan Denmark international.

Damsgaard provided Frank pinch solutions to their build-up play, often dropping into wide areas, deeper. Opposition defenders were unsure whether aliases not to travel him into these areas and Brentford could get up nan transportation much often.

He would thief Brentford pinch smart passes to nan wingers aliases turning connected nan shot and driving pinch it himself. When nether pressure, he would bounce it backmost to a defender pinch a first-time pass, not taking unnecessary risks.

By playing well-weighted nonstop done balls often, Damsgaard was a ample facet successful Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo's extremity output.

Off nan ball, Damsgaard pressed successful a beforehand two, intercepting nan shot successful vulnerable situations. His pressing strength and willingness to take sides embodied nan civilization Frank has tried to instil successful his teams passim his career.

Although somewhat connected nan nose, nan well-rounded midfielder would slot into Frank's strategy astatine Spurs pinch ease. The familiarity ensures questions astir tactical fresh are a non-issue.

At only 25 years old, he combines experience, Premier League know-how and method and beingness quality, allowing him to standard up to a Champions League side.

Bilal El Khannouss (Leicester)

It is important to contextualise El Khannouss' Premier League performances and statistics, fixed he played for a mediocre Leicester broadside who spent ample parts of past play defending deep.

Although he only scored 2 goals and assisted 3 times successful nan league, his performances person caught nan oculus of teams successful nan Premier League, astir precocious being linked to Crystal Palace arsenic a imaginable Eze replacement.

What stands retired instantly is his method quality. El Khannouss is accomplished pinch some feet and is often seen playing passes and crosses pinch either, depending connected what flank he has floated towards.

The mode successful which he dropped arsenic heavy arsenic nan protect midfielders, to amended nan Foxes' build-up, is thing Frank would appreciate. In these situations, he would transportation his squad upfield utilizing deceptive feints to create abstraction from opponents pressing him.

Although El Khannouss is an attacking midfielder, he often recovered himself successful helping positions and showcased awesome crossing value and high-level shot manipulation.

He has bully gait successful large spaces but connected nan shot plays astatine a slower gait appropriately. His two-footedness provides equilibrium and further imaginative solutions alongside left-footed wingers.

The only existent mobility people successful his crippled is really quickly he gets his shots off. He has a powerful onslaught of nan shot and is fantabulous connected set-pieces but takes clip to group up his shot, starring to his strikes being blocked. This makes scoring for El Khannouss much difficult successful crowded spaces, but he should beryllium a threat erstwhile shooting from distance.

Bilal El Khannouss open-play touch mapImage source, Opta

Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco)

Akliouche, conscionable for illustration Eze, is simply a earthy winger who moves to play much centrally during nan game. With 5 goals and 10 assists successful Ligue 1 past season, nan Frenchman took a measurement up, though he underperformed against his expected goals full of 9.3.

Even arsenic a winger, he has a inclination to driblet deep. From specified areas, he tin thrust nan shot complete ample distances quickly, showing spot to clasp disconnected defenders. His shot manipulation is impressive, often utilizing his studs and shot rolls to confuse defenders.

Against heavy defences, nan Monaco winger has been seen moving into cardinal midfield positions to find solutions. Here he passes good and tin find team-mates astatine a assortment of angles. As a talented passer, he would thief to supply equilibrium to Spurs' group of awesome shot carriers.

Despite his on-the-ball quality, he doesn't neglect his off-the-ball work. He tracks backmost diligently if his squad person mislaid nan ball. In attack, he makes bully runs down nan opposition's backmost line.

Frank likes his versatile attackers, peculiarly those that tin play aggregate roles. Akliouche provides a different floor plan down nan mediate and would activity good pinch Porro connected nan correct flank. This would free Kudus to play centrally too.

Akliouche displays a extremity threat greater than nan remainder of nan names successful this list. However, he is nan astir people attacking player, playing successful a much ascendant broadside compared to Brentford and Leicester.

Maghnes Akliouche attacking statisticsImage source, Opta

Tyler Dibling (Southampton)

Like Eze, Dibling is simply a winger who tin play centrally. For Southampton past season, location were games successful which he stayed reasonably central.

As a winger, Dibling resists unit good from defenders connected his back, getting utilized to being intimately marked successful nan Premier League pinch unit from down him. He takes this value pinch him erstwhile playing successful midfield.

When starting centrally, he often dropped heavy and towards nan correct broadside of nan transportation to supply his team's defenders pinch an other passing option. To find abstraction successful these situations, he would clone to tally successful behind, dragging a midfielder pinch him, earlier dropping heavy quickly to person nan ball.

If location is nan opportunity to move pinch nan ball, nan Englishman does truthful and impressively avoids being tackled by riding interaction good complete ample distances and having speedy feet successful mini spaces.

He tin beryllium little progressive than others connected this database erstwhile he doesn't person nan shot and prefers to person nan shot to feet, alternatively than making runs down a defender. This is almost exclusively done towards nan correct broadside of nan pitch, fixed his penchant for utilizing his correct foot.

At times, Dibling would suit playing down nan mediate much than connected nan helping if he were to motion for Spurs.

Down nan middle, he is capable to showcase his expertise to displacement nan shot and sprout quickly. Out wide, he tin beryllium susceptible to not rather getting nan correct formation connected in-swinging crosses from nan correct flank, a method of chance creation that Frank likes to use.

'Selling clubs cognize really to compression us' - Spurs instrumentality guidance

By Bardi, instrumentality writer from The Extra Inch, external

Daniel Levy's reign has seen an upturn successful luck and fortunes astatine Spurs, but they still look incapable to compete and complete transfers.

With Morgan Gibbs-White's move to Spurs successful pieces, Eze seemed nan adjacent logical step, particularly pinch top-four rivals retired of nan equation, but someway Levy and Spurs grounded to get it complete nan line.

Who moved nan statement depends connected wherever you guidelines successful nan awesome Levy debate, but what's clear is that he seems incapable to activity pinch different Premier League clubs.

Premier League chairmen cognize what to expect from him. They expect to beryllium "drawn complete nan coals" and they've had enough.

Eze was astir apt not nan subordinate we needed. He's not a high-volume imaginative passer aliases a dribbling sensation, but he represented acold much than that. He's a subordinate astatine nan highest of his powers, and his signature would beryllium a connection of intent. It would besides yet contradict Arsenal a subordinate they coveted.

Spurs now participate nan last fewer weeks of nan model reeking of desperation. Selling clubs cognize what we're holding and really to compression us. We person nary different action but to salary what they want.

A action of instrumentality responses to BBC Sport connected Thursday

Brian: Totally embarrassing. Over a week to get Eze signed and still couldn't negociate it and Arsenal do it successful hours. A footwear successful nan teeth to Spurs fans. We walk truthful overmuch wasted clip connected negotiating deals, it's axenic frustration!

Bob: Can't opportunity I'm that bothered. He is 27 years aged and his profession truthful acold has been QPR and Palace. He's not been wanted by anyone for illustration Barca aliases Real - move on.

Ian: Spurs' mentality is for illustration being a multi-millionaire and driving 25 minutes retired of municipality because nan petrol is 5p cheaper. By nan clip you get location you haven't saved anything, wasted a bunch of time, and everyone other is confused by what you're doing and laughing astatine you.

Andre: Eze is simply a awesome subordinate and would fortify immoderate squad he plays for. But, we can't look back. He isn't a Spurs subordinate truthful let's not outcry astir him. Onwards and upwards!

Christopher: Can't thief but consciousness that Ange would've sounded Eze retired and identified if his bosom was successful joining THFC aliases if he was stringing them along. If anything, it would person prevented this opus and creation from playing retired astatine Levy's Tottenham.

Anthony: Completely get it from Eze's perspective, it's his boyhood club. For me, it's different lawsuit of Levy and co. taking acold excessively agelong to wrap thing up. Realistically this only reportedly happened because of Havertz's injury, but successful shot you should ne'er return thing for granted. Not judge wherever to spell now, put nan other costs towards Savinho and find different 10 quick.

Bob: If he's a Gooner we don't want him. Simple.

Mark: For erstwhile I don't deliberation we tin blasted Levy for dragging his heels connected this outcome. I don't deliberation Eze ever wanted to motion for us, each we did was group it up for Arsenal to measurement in. Fair play to their buying squad and nary uncertainty our smug North London neighbours will beryllium letting america cognize really bully they feel.

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