As Tottenham look increasingly likely to break their record for moves while exclusively fielding manager Angel Postecoglou, TT has decided to take a look at the club’s 10 most sensible signings of all time.
Spurs have already been active this summer, getting rid of some of the dead players in Postecoglou’s team and loaning back Timo Werner, as well as the additions of talented young midfielder duo Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray.
But there’s more that deserve to stay, as Postecoglou is targeting a prolific No. 9, almost in fact some other central midfielder and most likely some other central defender in a dominance that proved problematic in the early part of last season.
The likes of Ivan Toney, Santiago Gimenez, Jonathan David and Viktor Gyokeres, the latter is the only one of the names discussed who would likely erase his existing movement log given his save clause amounting to £86m.
Eberechi Eze remains linked with a £60million move to north London, with Manchester City borrowing a move on Tottenham on that front.
However, the mere fact that Daniel Levy is now more than willing to spend those sorts of figures to back a Tottenham manager already boosting the popularity of the Mauricio Pochettino era suggests that a record-breaking takeover is possibly imminent.
The latest addition to Tottenham’s ranks enjoys a wonderful reputation following his notable efforts with Leeds United last season, which saw them narrowly miss out on a quick return to the Premier League.
Gray, 18, has been signed through the club to play in central midfield, but the fact he can also upgrade at right back is a huge added bonus for Spurs and Postecoglou.
Despite being a teenager, Gray will put pressure on Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr in the middle of the Postecoglou engine room, especially if he excels in pre-season.
When Sissoko arrived in north London, he had a strong feeling that he had been brought in thanks to the brilliance he used to play whenever he played against Tottenham.
Spurs beat Everton thanks to the signing of Sissoko in 2016, but he never reached the heights that many expected, despite the demonstration of storming the barn.
He spent five years at Tottenham before signing for Watford and, after two years in his country, he is back at Vicarage Road.
Without a doubt, one of last season’s signings in the Premier League and an absolute master addition to the club when many were wondering about the arrival of a young Dutchman from the Bundesliga.
Quick to burn and with a great ability to read the game, Van de Ven also showed his talent as an attacking risk when he played as a left-back in the last two games of the season.
The Dutchman, who did not have the chance to show his talent at Euro 2024, is expected to be a mainstay in the centre of Tottenham’s defence for the next five to six years.
Former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood’s initial diagnosis after Porro’s first start for Tottenham in the 4-1 win at Leicester was “so bad it’s unbelievable”. But the Spaniard has come a long way since then.
Porro stood out last season, scoring four goals and adding seven assists in 37 games in all competitions and made it clear that he belongs to the English elite.
The 24-year-old will once again be Postecoglou’s first-choice starter at the start of the new campaign, despite announcing the addition of a new right-back following the departure of Japhet Tanganga and the likely sale of Emerson Royal.
A real two-half season for the English playmaker in his first crusade in north London.
Maddison was sensational in the first 10 games of the season when Tottenham were top of the table, but after an ankle injury sidelined him for more than two months, he never returned to the heights.
In fact, their difficulties led to a devastating exclusion from England for Euro 2024.
However, Maddison is the kind of character who will come out to knock others out of their place, so expect wonderful things from the 27-year-old forward in the upcoming season.
Sanchez was the club’s record signing when he arrived from Ajax in 2017, but in the end disappointed after spending six years in north London.
The Colombian started his career strongly at Tottenham playing in the middle of a three-man defence with the always reliable Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld by his side.
However, he was not so comfortable in a 4 and seemed uncomfortable and clumsy in possession.
His departure to Galatasaray in September 2023 was not a huge surprise, he probably deserved to have happened much faster given his lack of time to play in past campaigns.
Another fantastic signing for what now turns out to be a reduced price and it’s hard to believe that Romero really costs the same as Sanchez!
Disciplinary issues aside, Romero has been a strong presence at Tottenham and has a World Cup winner since joining the club.
His partnership with Van de Ven may be a mainstay in the coming years, if Levy and company. can keep him out of the clutches of a Real Madrid.
A takeover of Ange Postecoglou last summer showed why the club paid almost £50m for their facilities without ever reaching the heights they probably expected.
The Welsh foreigner has many qualities that make him a damaging winger in the Premier League, but there was a sense that he was working his way into betting on a bigger club.
In fact, Johnson will want to continue his new season, as the festival of wide spaces in Postecoglou’s three most sensible will be fierce.
The former Forest player is competing lately with Dejan Kulusevski for a spot on the right, but Manor Solomon will return and discuss a deal for Eberechi Eze.
A disastrous debut season in north London was at least followed by a much improved effort from the ornery Brazilian last time out.
Richarlison seemed more comfortable betting on Postecoglou than Antonio Conte, scoring 12 goals in 31 games, but rumours of a possible move to the Saudi Pro League persist as Tottenham are considering a more prolific No. 9.
However, if that doesn’t happen, expect the former Everton man to start the season at centre-back, with captain Son Heung-min back in his favored position on the left wing.
Three words: loss of money. Three others: waste of talent.
Ndombele looked like a rare ability when he agreed a big deal through Tottenham’s criteria in 2019 after the sadness of the Champions League final defeat to Liverpool.
In total, he only played 91 games for the club, scored 10 goals and was on loan at Lyon, Napoli and Galatasaray.
The 27-year-old is now back at Nice after being released from his Tottenham contract with a year to go.