Tottenham Hotspur are hoping to get some work done in the January transfer window. Despite beating Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park at the weekend, they remain in the bottom half of the Premier League, 11th, at mid-season.
Manager Thomas Frank has a lot of work to do and plenty of holes to fill, but Tottenham are building on the foundations of last season’s Europa League win and capitalizing on the winter market could accelerate his vision.
The Lewis family intends to support the boss. Funding is provided. One or two fresh faces are expected.
There is no question that Tottenham need a new central midfielder, but there are also moves in Brennan Johnson’s front and signing a new wide attacking player could be first on the club’s co-sporting director’s list of priorities.
Spurs to replace Brennan Johnson
In a New Year deal, it has been revealed that Tottenham have agreed in principle with Crystal Palace a deal worth £35m for Johnson.
Johnson has played a sporadic role this season, and his creativity and physical metrics leave a lot to be desired. It was only at the end of last season that the Welshman scored his 19th goal of the season in the Europa League final, but football moves quickly.
So quickly, in fact, that the North Londoners have already named a replacement, with the Daily Mail revealing that Spurs are interested in AS Monaco’s Magnes Akuriosh.
Akuriosh, 23, has been an excellent player for his French employers since graduating from a highly regarded academy and his £40m price tag would be more affordable for Tottenham than the likes of Bournemouth’s £65m-rated winger Antoine Semenyo, who heads to Manchester City.
Why Akryosh is an upgrade over Johnson
Acrioche has become one of the most important members of Monaco’s first team, appearing in 22 games in all competitions this season, scoring three goals and providing five assists.
But this is not a player defined by data. He is elegant, quick and dangerous from the outside or in the center of midfield. According to Sofascore, he created seven big chances in just 14 league appearances in the 2025/26 season, and his athleticism is evidenced by an average of 5.3 ball recoveries per game.
Ball recoveries are defined by the number of loose balls recovered by a player.
Data isn’t everything, but as the stats below show, Acriuce is a strong playmaker who prefers to dribble forward with the ball, although he leaves something to be desired when attacking the keeper in front of goal.
Akriosh vs. Johnson (last 12 months) | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics (per 90) | Akryosh | johnson |
Number of points scored | 0.16 | 0.39 |
assist | 0.30 | 0.04 |
shot taken | 2.25 | 1.08 |
The action that creates the shot | 4.13 | 1.59 |
touch (to pen) | 5.07 | 2.75 |
Pass completion rate (%) | 82.9 | 67.4 |
progressive path | 5.77 | 2.19 |
progressive carry | 3.81 | 1.98 |
successful take-up | 1.53 | 0.73 |
Number of balls collected | 4.89 | 2.62 |
Tackle + Interception | 2.31 | 1.72 |
Data via FBref | ||
Johnson may have a solid scoring edge, but he’s proven to be something of a one-trick pony, offering little otherwise.
Given that a lack of brilliance and creativity has been one of Tottenham’s most pernicious flaws this season, the decision to let him go is understandable, especially now that Akuriosh is in the ENIC group’s sights.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig, a true baseball artist, actually said Aklioce’s left foot was “made of gold,” and he makes pinpoint, creative passes every time he steps on the field.
As analyst Ben Mattinson put it, this is a versatile winger with “ridiculous” technical qualities and is not a shot-first wide man, but Tottenham are struggling with playmaking and he would be perfect.
A left foot made of gold, and a skill set made specifically for Frank’s Tottenham team. The shoes were able to fit very well.
Kolo Muani upgrade: Spurs make record bid for ‘one of Europe’s best CFs’
Tottenham are prepared to spend significant sums on new players in the January transfer window.
