Spurs have already signed new Modric

It’s never been quiet at Tottenham Hotspur. The January transfer window was touted as an exciting one for those interested in persuading Spurs, but fans will likely remain hopeful.

Simply put, coach Thomas Frank’s team has been poor offensively this season. The Lilywhites are languishing in 14th place in the Premier League, with Brennan Johnson sold to Crystal Palace last month. Mohamed Kudus and Richarlison are both expected to be injured for the foreseeable future.

Simply put, if Frank is to save his skin, results need to improve quickly and there is a sense that Tottenham could have been more active in the market, something Cristian Romero pointed out after Sunday’s exciting draw with Manchester City when he appeared to criticize the board.

It is not strictly true that north Londoners have not stepped up their attacks.

Why the Spurs signed James Wilson

Hearts striker James Wilson, 18, was snapped up by Arsenal on deadline day, with the promising striker joining Spurs on an initial loan deal with an option to make the move permanent in the summer.

Wilson joins Tottenham Academy’s diverse attacking talent, with Irish goalscorer Mason Melia, 18, also joining the club last month.

Dane Scarlett joined the Scottish Premiership on loan from Hibernian last week, while Will Lankshear will be leaving Oxford United this season.

But in the case of Wilson, who has already scored eight senior goals for Hearts at the age of 18, the board will feel they have signed a talent beyond him, and that feeling will be doubly heightened by arch-rivals Arsenal losing out on his deal.

Wilson has the potential to become a star at Tottenham, but the young Scotland international may not be the mainstay of Spurs’ young squad and there are players on loan who have the potential of a generation that is going from strength to strength.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the young players below the N17 ranks aren’t bad at all.

Spurs have signed new Luka Modric

Luka Modric is one of the greatest players of his generation and enjoyed an elite rise to form at Tottenham before moving to Real Madrid in 2012.

Tottenham may have acquired a new version in Luka Vuskovic, an 18-year-old Croatian defender who shares with his compatriot a natural ability that suggests greatness.

The Londoner has agreed an agreement with Hajduk Split in 2023, but the teenager will not become a Tottenham player until 2025, after which he will move to Hamburg on loan in the Bundesliga.

Hamburg are in 13th place and threatened with relegation, but Vusković has been in great form this season as a very young, very strong, and ageless leader.

The progress he has made as a professional thus far belies his youth, and this suggests he has a much better chance of securing a place in Tottenham’s first team than Wilson, and is better suited to become a regular first-team member from the get-go.

See how he compares to Micky van de Ven. The Dutchman has a well-deserved reputation as one of the Premier League’s most talented centre-backs. The athletic phenomenon has recently been linked with a move to Liverpool, with Spurs responding by tying him with a £100m price tag.

Like Van de Ven, Vusković is “becoming a goal machine”, according to journalist Antonio Mango, but he is also establishing himself as one of Europe’s toughest defenders, averaging an impressive 8.5 goals per Bundesliga game.

He has certainly enjoyed an excellent season in Germany’s top flight, with analyst Ben Mattinson hailing him as an “unusual talent” with physical and technical skills that most defenders could only dream of.

Although Vusković does not share Modric’s aptitude as a midfielder, he is also very talented, creative on the ball and destructive when trying to regain possession.

He is a unique player and will only get better in the coming years. In this respect, Tottenham may have acquired a genius player with more potential than Wilson or perhaps anyone else looking to break into the big time under Frank.