Tottenham have inquired about the future of their promising new attacker, with interest in Manchester City winger Sabinho.
Spurs line up replacements for Johnson and Tell
Brennan Johnson has completed a £35m move from Tottenham to Crystal Palace. The 24-year-old Wales international has signed a four-and-a-half year contract at Selhurst Park.
Johnson, who fell out of favor under Spurs manager Thomas Frank despite being North London’s top scorer last season, is set to make his Palace debut in Sunday’s Premier League game against Newcastle at St James’ Park.
Matthijs Tell could also leave the Lilywhites after falling down the pecking order under the former Brentford manager, reportedly causing a rift between the two sides.
Spurs are planning to allow Tell to go on loan due to interest from Galatasaray, and Sabinho has been mentioned as a potential replacement for the two players.
The Brazilian is finding it difficult to get minutes at the Etihad due to the form of Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki, but losing his place in Manchester could mean his next move could be taken by one of his team-mates.
Tottenham’s star player on £55,000-a-week to leave after conflict with Frank
The forward is not happy with the Spurs manager.
Spurs target Omar Marmouche in January
In fact, according to Team Talk, Tottenham have inquired about signing another City star, Omar Marmouche, who has also attracted interest from Aston Villa.
Man City have no intention of losing the Egypt international midway through the season, so it will be interesting to see how seriously Spurs try to test his resolve just 12 months after his £63m (including add-ons) move from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The winger-forward is currently on a trip to AFCON, scoring once as the Pharaohs top their group, but a combination of form and fitness issues have limited his effectiveness for City this season.
Nevertheless, the numbers paint a much better picture for Marmouche than for Sabinho, with the former Frankfurt star scoring 0.46 non-penalty goals per 90 goals in the past 365 days.
Sabinho, on the other hand, has collected just 0.05 out of 90 games, more than 800 per cent less than his City co-stars and in the bottom two per cent of attacking midfielders/wingers in Europe’s top five leagues.
Josep Guardiola was full of praise for Marmouche earlier this year, offering insight into what he could add to Tottenham’s attack.
“He came in in the middle of the season and at a time when we weren’t doing well.
“Sometimes when everything is in flux and everything is going well, it’s easier to adapt.
“But it’s a big achievement for me to come on when the team wasn’t playing well.
“He understands the intensity with which he has to run and play when his team wants to get the ball.”
Marmouche is under contract with City until the summer of 2029.
