Are Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son a detriment to Tottenham?

What is going on at Spurs and how can it be fixed?

At the start of the Premier League season, Jose Mourinho’s Spurs side were tipped for big things; they were the bookie’s favourite English club to win the Europa League. By November, they were flying high: top of the table with Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son enjoying their best ever season. However, Spurs’ season has plummeted rapidly: 4 wins in 14 games have seen the North London side fall from 1st to 8th. The players have become error prone, tactics have become stale, fans are tired of the style of play, and Mourinho is publically humiliating players.

Mourinho was appointed after Mauricio Pochettino was sacked with the hope of progressing the club into one that competes for trophies. Many would say Mourinho has pulled off a miracle by guiding them to a Carabao Cup Final. However, the quality of football has taken a real hit. The free-flowing attacking football, that was played under Pochettino, has been substituted for a negative, ultra-defensive style of football that fans are not happy with. Daniel Levy, the club’s chairman, has sold the club’s soul and identity for a shot at the League Cup. To make matters worse, the North London side face Manchester City, a team they lost 3-0 to only last month. However, Mourinho’s record of twelve wins and three losses in major cup finals can give the Londoners hope because on the day of the final, April 25th, they will be 90 minutes away from their first major trophy since Juande Ramos won the League Cup in 2008. Spurs will be going into the final as firm underdogs; although not mathematically possible, Manchester City have seemingly already won the Premier League, are on a 21-game winning streak and haven’t lost a game since November 21st.

The sun could be setting on Mourinho’s tenure in North London, and this is how Spurs’ future manager could rebuild the club and lead them to a trophy with more significance than a League Cup.

"The current lack of progress and any visible sign of improvement is unacceptable" - Club Chairman Daniel Levy

According to the bookies, Mourinho’s three most likely replacements are: Brendan Rodgers, Julian Nagelsmann and Eddie Howe. A very smart option would be Leicester City’s Brendan Rodgers because acquiring him would massively weaken Leicester’s hopes of European qualification, but he could also be able to persuade some of Leicester’s young stars to make the switch with him. Rodgers has helped to build Leicester into a formidable side that are the only team that haven’t been knocked out of the top four this season. They also missed out on Champions League qualification on the last day of last season. He would be a great addition for Spurs because he would help them to start to play free flowing attacking football once again. However, I question whether he would be willing to leave Leicester to go to Spurs when they are currently in a better position, in the Premier League, than the North London club.

The most exciting option, and potentially most likely, is Julian Nagelsmann. The German manager currently has Leipzig in second place and are just two points behind Bayern Munich. Despite this, the club has just sold their star centre-back, Dayot Upamecano, to Bayern so it would be understandable if he is fuming with this decision and want out of the club. The selling of the highly rated 20-year-old shows the flaws of the Bundesliga that Bayern Munich have a monopoly over the league. Nagelsmann may want a fresh start and Spurs could be the change of scenery that he needs. The German manager has been in charge of RB Leipzig since June 2019 and has helped to build the profile of the club, including becoming the youngest manager to win a UEFA Champions League knockout tie, ironically with a 4-0 win against Spurs.

Eddie Howe would be the worst option out of the three; his appointment would not be surprising, but it would show a complete lack of ambition from Daniel Levy. Howe is currently out of a job after leaving Bournemouth following their relegation from the Premier League last season. I do not think Eddie Howe would be able to take Spurs to the next level which as a member of the ‘big six’ they should be looking to do.

The Rebuild

One of Spurs’ problems is that they have a very small squad where they are an injury crisis away from disaster. The club’s lack of success could see the end of Kane and Son’s careers at Spurs; Pochettino joining PSG could be a real threat. With both Manchester clubs in need of a world class striker, Kane is likely to be near the top of their shopping list. Man United legend Ji Sung Park has recommended Son to United however the future success of Pochettino and PSG could attract Son. Kane and Son are valued at £110 million and £80 million* however, with a bit of negotiating, Spurs could be able to get around £250 million. That would fund all of Spurs’ rebuild but there is still a lot of deadwood they need to get rid of.

Under Mourinho, Spurs’ system has been about controlling the tempo of the game however recently they have been playing in a way where they attempt to score early then sit back and defend for the rest of the game. Under Nagelsmann, RB Leipzig play a high pressing style of football where instead of forcing their opponents back towards their goal, they are pushed into wider areas. They play a variation of a 4-4-2 or the 3-5-2; in order to get the best out of the players currently at Tottenham a formation that uses a back three would suit them best because it would allow them to get the best out of Matt Doherty, a wing back they signed in the summer for around £15 million but has struggled to perform in a traditional back four.

One of the biggest problems for this Spurs team is the leaky defence. It confuses me how the North London side have sent Ryan Sessegnon on loan to Hoffenheim when they use Ben Davies as cover for full-back. The Amazon documentary showed Ben Davies to be a nice guy, but he is too lightweight for the Premier League and is not good enough. He’s valued at £15.75 million but they would be lucky to get £10 million for him.

The north London club have had major problems in defence this season, specifically Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez. I do not think Dier should be sold because he can be a good utility player who provides depth for both defensive midfield and centre back. Davinson Sanchez has had a horrific season and he needs to be sold whilst he still has a good market value. Sanchez is valued at £36 million however, they would be hard pushed to get £25 million for him.

One of the big problems with the Spurs team is the ageing Hugo Lloris. The French World Cup winning captain has been an excellent servant to the club, but for the club to further themselves, he needs to leave. Hugo Lloris is a good keeper, but he has not been at the required level for a while; his decline in quality was accelerated when he dislocated his elbow against Brighton in October 2019.

To reinvigorate this team, Spurs need to buy a young keeper who will be at the club for a long time. In my opinion, the two best options are Manchester United’s Dean Henderson and AC Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma. Henderson is valued at £18 million, and Spurs could be able to get him for around this price due to it being rumoured that unless he is made Man United’s number 1, ahead of David de Gea, he would push for an exit. The risk to targeting Henderson is that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could decide to cash in on de Gea, and trust the young Englishman, after his recent performances.

The best option for Spurs would be Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italian goalkeeper made his debut for AC Milan in 2015 when he was only 16 and has had the number 1 spot since. He’s been valued at £54 million but is available on a free as his contract at Milan runs out at the end of the season and he is yet to sign a renewal. Donnarumma is two years younger than Henderson but has experience at the top level of the Serie A and the Europa League. The Italian’s defensive record is also impressive with him conceding 25 goals with a 27.5 PSxG (Post-Shot Expected Goals); Henderson has conceded 3 goals with a PSxG of 3.4, a good record but not as strong as the Italians.

If Spurs are going to restructure their team, they are going to need to make significant changes to their defensive back line. In my opinion, Spurs need to invest for the future and for now; Ben White would be a great signing because he has become a Premier League regular in Graham Potter’s Brighton side and with impressive stats like 46 blocks in 25 games, has him as someone who would be a great squad player for the North London side. White is valued at £19.8 million however, Spurs could have to pay around £30 million for him due to his age, importance to the squad and the fact that he’s English. However, if Brighton get relegated his price may be closer to his original value.

Another great option for Spurs would be Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa. Konsa’s gone under the radar in Dean Smith’s high flying Aston Villa side due to high-profile players like Tyrone Mings, Jack Grealish and Ollie Watkins taking most of the plaudits. Konsa ranks 3rd in the league for shots blocked with 28, 1 less than the top ranked Conor Coady. The English defender has been an integral part of the rejuvenated Aston Villa side that has gone from staying in the league due to a goal-line technology mistake to fighting for European qualification. Konsa is valued at £10.8 million but due to how well Villa are doing, and the fact that they are very close to Spurs in the league, he will more likely cost £20 million.

If Nagelsmann is to swap the Bundesliga for the Premier League, it is likely that he will try to bring some of the league’s best exports with him. This could mean paying the £36 million release clause for highly rated Ibrahima Konte from RB Leipzig instead of someone like Konsa or White. However, he should also look at players like Martin Hinteregger. The Austrian defender, currently playing for Frankfurt, has been one of the Bundesliga’s stand out defenders this season. He has the most tackles in the defensive 3rd out of anyone in the league: 42. He also has the 4th most tackles out of any defender in the German top division. Hinteregger is currently valued at £16.2 million, and he could make the switch to North London for around £20 million, which could make him a more viable option for Nagelsmann than Konsa.

When playing a back three it is important to have a left-footed centre back as it helps in switching the ball from side to side. Dan-Axel Zagadou has struggled for minutes in Dortmund this season and could be looking for a fresh start. The French defender is the perfect build for the Premier League; standing at around 6’4 he is a powerhouse in the air, strong and has a great presence at the back. The defender is also comfortable on the ball and with playing out from the back. The Frenchman is valued at £19.8 million and Spurs could sign him for around £25 million, which would be a steal.

The strongest position at Spurs is their central midfield. In the 3-4-1-2 I imagine Nagelsmann would play a double pivot of Hojberg and Ndombele; the Danish Hojberg would act as the most defensive midfielder, providing cover and stopping counter attacks. Ndombele would act as the box-to-box midfielder who would link play together.

The introduction of Nagelsmann would potentially see him bring the young American, Tyler Adams, with him to provide cover for the defensive midfield role. The American has incredible versatility, with him being able to play as a defensive midfielder, right back and right midfielder. I would primarily use him as cover for Hojberg but he would be a great player to have on the bench as he could also cover for Doherty if Aurier is not available. The American is valued at £18 million, and Spurs could sign him for around £20 million.

The introduction of Nagelsmann and playing a 3-4-1-2 formation could be the necessary turning point needed for the success of Dele Alli’s career. His brief stints in the Europa League have shown that the English playmaker has still got skill and talent by the bucket load, he just needs the game time. The English attacking playmaker has seemingly been frozen out by Mourinho after not responding well to his harsh management style. Dele could reimagine his lightning form playing as either the central attacking midfielder or as the second striker.

In a world where both Kane and Son have left Spurs, Levy will need to majorly invest in order to make sure their goals are not missed. However, last time Spurs received a significant amount of money for a player was the summer of 2013 where they received £85.3 million for Gareth Bale. The money was reinvested extremely poorly, with the most successful signing being Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela. The north London side will need to carefully invest; a relatively risk-free signing to make would be Memphis Depay. Despite it being unsuccessful, the Dutchman has already experienced Premier League life when he played for Manchester United so would not find the switch too shocking. The Dutch international’s contract runs out at the end of the season and is yet to renew his current deal so would be available on a free. One of Memphis’ strengths is his versatility: the forward can play on both wings, as a 9 lone striker or playing off the main striker. In the 3-4-1-2 system, I would have him playing as a second striker, just behind the centre forward but in front of Dele Alli.

If Spurs sell Harry Kane, they need to make significant signings to make up for his goals. The first striker they should prioritise is Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez. The Argentinian has been on fire this season scoring 13 goals from an xG of just 10.6. His quality means that at just 23, he has the world at his feet. However, this may be problematic for Spurs because they could end up being outpriced by Milan. Martinez turned down Barcelona last season due to his desire to play under Conte. He’s valued at £63 million but I would not be surprised if Milan expects up to £100 million for him. Martinez’s versatility only adds to his price tag; the Argentinian can play anywhere across the front three.

If Spurs get outpriced by Milan for Martinez, they could also look at Lukaku or Eintracht Frankfurt’s Andre Silva. Silva is the Bundesliga’s 2nd top scorer, behind Lewandowski, with 19 goals from an xG of 16.1. the Portuguese striker is 25 and only just entering his prime. He has a similar play style to Lukaku, and having Memphis play off a target man could be devastating. Lukaku is valued at £81 million and Andre Silva at £33.3 million. I would prioritise signing Martinez over the other two options but if he is too expensive Andre Silva would be the best option.

In order to guarantee goals, the North London club should also look to bring in another striker. It is looking likely that Danny Ings is going to leave Southampton due to his high wages. In the current climate, the club cannot afford to pay him his £3.9 million-a-year salary so they will probably have to let him leave. Ings is valued at £18 million but due to the club’s need to let him go I could see him going for £15 million. Signing Ings would would work wonders for Spurs because not only would it take pressure off the marquee signing upfront, but they also have a 20+ goals a season striker. Ings being prone to injury would not be a massive worry to them due to the quality and depth they would have.

If these signings are made not only does it transform Spurs into a force to be reckoned with, but they all of a sudden have incredible depth to their team which could see them go deep in many competitions. My calculations, based on the values from transfermarkt.com, suggest that the reinvestment into the squad could cost around £200 million. Whilst this seems like a lot, the sales of Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son, Hugo Lloris, Davinson Sanchez and Ben Davies would raise funds of around £250 million.

The fortunes of the club after the sale of Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son swing on a pendulum; Levy can invest smartly, or he can repeat the borderline disaster of the 2013 summer transfer window. The future of the club is in his hands.

*All transfer values are based around the estimation made by www.transfermarkt.com