Three signings Tottenham must make to build a club in Ange Postecoglou’s image
Tottenham’s season is stuttering to a close — and a significant summer lies ahead in North London.
Ange Postecoglou’s outfit are ending the campaign with a whimper, having lost four consecutive matches to leave their chances of Champions League qualification hanging by a thread.
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That run has highlighted the need for reinforcements at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as the Tottenham board look to build a team in their manager’s image.
With plenty of activity expected in the upcoming transfer window, we highlight three players that the Lilywhites should sign.
Battling Brobbey
Richarlison has missed seven matches through injury this season, with Tottenham losing to Wolves, Aston Villa and Newcastle in the Brazilian’s absence.
Those defeats drew attention to a deficiency in Tottenham’s attacking options — they lack a player who can hold the ball up in the final third when their No.9 is unavailable.
Postecoglou should look to remedy that situation by signing a targetman this summer, and Ajax’s Brian Brobbey may be just the man for the job.
The 22-year-old has scored 18 league goals and registered seven assists in 2023/24, while providing a physical presence up front for Ajax.
Only Luuk de Jong (18) has created more big chances among Eredivisie strikers than Brobbey’s 10, with just three forwards outperforming his 64.58% aerial duel success rate.
Dominant Ugarte
Tottenham have often failed to assert control in the centre of the park this season, so a dominant midfielder will be high on Postecoglou’s shopping list.
However, Tottenham’s possession-based approach means any addition must also be able to progress play, making Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte an ideal candidate.
The Uruguay international could be made available this summer by Les Parisiens, though there would be fierce competition for his services.
It’s not hard to see why — Ugarte has won possession more times in the attacking third than any other Ligue 1 player (29), as well as ranking third for total tackles (88).
And the 23-year-old is also adept with the ball at his feet, registering a notably-high 91.45% passing accuracy across the campaign.
Doughty’s delivery
Destiny Udogie’s season-ending injury has exposed Tottenham’s need to recruit left-back cover.
Current back-up Ben Davies lacks the attacking skillset to offer an effective outlet in Postecoglou’s system, while Emerson Royal struggled when switching to the left flank in last weekend’s defeat to Liverpool.
But Tottenham may not need to look too far afield, with Luton Town’s Alfie Doughty possessing all the attributes they require.
Kieran Trippier (10) is the only Premier League defender with more assists than the 24-year-old (9) and he is topping the charts for chances created (67) when compared with his fellow full-backs.
Doughty has also attempted (317) and completed (83) more crosses than any player in the division, while performing admirably in a host of defensive metrics — from possessions won in defensive third (111) to total tackles (60).
Tottenham would be wise to target the Hatters’ star man this summer.