It can be hoped that Thomas Frank has the backing of Tottenham Hotspur’s board, who are prepared to back the beleaguered manager in the January transfer window.
Obviously investment is required. Spurs sit 14th in the Premier League table, an improvement from last year’s flirtation with the drop zone, but still far from the expected standard of N17.
But Tottenham are in need of reinforcements, particularly in wide attacking positions, and have been hit by a winter hailstorm when it comes to Antoine Semenyo, with Sky Sports revealing that Bournemouth have ended their interest in the winger as Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United ramp up intrigue.
Son Heung-min aside, Tottenham have found their wingers flattering and deceiving in recent years. He needs to get it now, especially if his long-term interest in Semenyo is to go down the drain.
How Spurs will react if they miss Semenyo
There is no doubt that Semenyo is a top talent. He has scored eight goals in the Premier League this season and has added three more, with great power and dynamism in his performances.
But Tottenham may have their own version in Mikey Moore, who is already on loan at Rangers in the Scottish Premiership. The 18-year-old is an excellent dribbler with a low center of gravity and a strong core.
However, Tottenham need to continue to reuse their flanks. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has too many driftwood planks. This has been a recurring theme for some time.
Take Eric Lamela, for example. The old Lilywhites winger joined from Roma in 2013 for around £26m, part of a big influx of players to replace Gareth Bale when the Welshman moved to Real Madrid for a world record fee. He had natural talent, but he mostly glossed over it, scoring just 17 goals in 177 appearances in the Premier League. Only twice has he scored more than two goals in a single league campaign.
Signing Lamela after Bale left for Los Blancos is a huge mistake that could be attributed to the current situation if Tottenham fail to achieve the right goals.
But whoever they sign, the north Londoner may be hoping to cash in on another blunder that makes the Argentine look like a good deal in fact.
Spurs need to sell ‘horrible’ winger
As the January transfer window approaches, Tottenham have compiled a list of targets to strengthen Frank’s squad. According to TEAMtalk, Semenyo is also attracting attention from RB Leipzig’s Yann Diomande and Real Madrid superstar Rodrygo.
These are big-ticket deals, so Spurs may want to focus on releasing Brennan Johnson, an overlooked £100,000-a-week winger this season.
Johnson, 23, scored 19 goals in all competitions last season, including the winner in the Europa League final against Manchester United, but there is still plenty of room for improvement in his overall game. Simply put, Tottenham need to act ruthlessly to underline their ambitions and ensure he leaves next month.
The Wales international is wanted and Crystal Palace are pushing to complete a loan move when the January market opens wide.
A prolific wide forward, Johnson simply isn’t up to the task and this prevents the Spurs side from struggling for creativity and fluidity in the third.
Indeed, while Johnson may be praised for his “terrifying pace” by content production company HLTCO and others, he hasn’t used his weapons effectively.
League Stats – Johnson vs Diomand | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics (* per match) | 24/25 | 25/26 |
Match (start) | 33(24) | 15(6) |
the goal | 11 | 2 |
assist | 3 | 0 |
touch | 27.8 | 16.5 |
Number of shots (on target)* | 1.6 (0.9) | 0.4(0.1) |
Exact path* | 13.1 (76%) | 6.5 (71%) |
Opportunities created* | 0.6 | 0.4 |
It was successful. dribble* | 0.6 (46%) | 0.2 (33%) |
Ball recovery rate* | 1.9 | 0.9 |
Tackle + Interception* | 1.3 | 1.1 |
Win a duel* | 2.8 | 1.6 |
Data via Sofascore | ||
FBref data further highlights Johnson’s deficiencies, revealing that the Welshman ranks in the bottom 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues in shot creation action per 90 (1.25) over the past year.
The action that creates the shot is part of the play that leads to the shot. This includes the moment a pass, take-on, or foul is drawn.
You can see why Frank doesn’t want to give him regular minutes in the Premier League. Johnson has a natural scoring instinct, but when you look at his wide-ranging gameplay, he glosses over it.
Lamela, on the other hand, has something to offer when welcomed onto the field, and his winning goal against Puskas in the North London derby was a prime example of this. Club legend Ozzie Ardiles even believed the retired 33-year-old was “more skilled than Bale” in his prime.
If Tottenham go into the game, they need to make sure they sign Johnson, a player who could be offered a much smaller sum than Lamela.
ENIC must be worried now that he has signed Ndombele again at Spurs
Tottenham are looking for more composure and quality from their players as they enter a testing season under new manager Thomas Frank.
