Tottenham Insists Next Signings Must Be Top-Tier Stars, No More Second-Rate Players

A Camel Live Tottenham correspondent answered fans’ questions in a column.

What are Tottenham’s plans for the January transfer window? What impact will Levy’s departure have? 

This is the first transfer window without Levy at the helm, but I don’t think the club’s recruitment policy will change drastically.

After his ban was lifted, Fabio Paratici has officially returned to his role as sporting director. He will go all out and is likely to focus on players who can strengthen the first team or solve short-term problems.

Currently, the priority position seems to be a center-forward, but Tottenham needs top-tier players to upgrade the team rather than signing another second-rate player that would bloat the existing squad.

By January, Dominic Solanke may have recovered from injury and be in good form, so the center-forward issue could potentially be addressed in the summer.

Paratici’s presence makes me believe they will at least inquire about Dušan Vlahović, whose contract with Juventus expires in June. Since Luciano Spalletti replaced Igor Tudor as the Bianconeri’s head coach, Vlahović’s situation has changed slightly.

Spalletti has stated he wants to keep Vlahović and hopes he signs a new contract, but the 25-year-old Serbian earns a whopping £10 million after tax per year, and a free transfer in the summer would be extremely beneficial for him personally.

If Tottenham can meet his salary demands, the deal appears more feasible than Ivan Toney—whether in the winter or summer window. Toney has sparked numerous speculations due to his relationship with manager Ange Postecoglou.

At 29, Toney does not align with Tottenham’s policy of recruiting young, promising players, and his high salary demands in Saudi Arabia may ultimately make him more costly than Vlahović.

What score would you give Postecoglou for his work so far?

6.5 out of 10.

There has indeed been progress in defense, which was the top priority. Under Postecoglou, Tottenham’s backline is much more solid, their set-piece proficiency at both ends of the pitch is stronger, and they are harder to beat than last season under Ange Postecoglou.

However, in some games—especially at home against stubborn opponents—their attack lacks fluidity or creativity. Perhaps there isn’t the free-flowing adventure that some Tottenham purists hope for. Maybe they are too worried about what the opposition can do.

From a neutral perspective, I think Postecoglou deserves time to advance to the next stage. He knows the team needs to be more creative in open play, and you can see he is constantly tweaking and trying different approaches to find solutions.

His substitutions against Manchester United were booed—but they worked. He’s not a fool. He knows what he’s doing. He also recognizes that he has to compete with some of the best teams in the world and the most financially backed clubs with less investment, which is impossible if you don’t intend to stop opponents from doing what they want.

It’s a balance issue. It always is at Tottenham. And it’s a difficult one to solve.

How can Postecoglou fix Tottenham’s poor home form?

This is likely closely linked to everything else—such as the quality of signings, the players’ ability level, and the search for the right balance. The balance between home and away games may be slightly different, as few away teams come to Tottenham’s home and take the initiative to attack them.

Some teams will play pure counterattacks, others will combine high pressing, but they all know it’s wise to frustrate the home fans. Because when the home atmosphere becomes agitated, it makes Tottenham players anxious and prone to overcommitting in attack.

This erodes confidence when trying to break down presses and leads to individual mistakes, especially among the least experienced players. When fear creeps into football, it means they can no longer make instinctive decisions on the ball.

They have to break this cycle to change the atmosphere, and it may take a bit of luck to help them do that.

What’s going on with Dominic Solanke? Is it just an injury issue, or is there more to it? Does Postecoglou not like using him?

Well, he’s injured. He hurt his ankle in Postecoglou’s first pre-season friendly and hasn’t been fully fit since. Initially, he played through the discomfort, then tried rest and injections, and ultimately had to undergo surgery.

Any conspiracy theories that he is actually fit and raring to go but just not selected by Postecoglou are absurd.

Solanke was Tottenham’s best-performing striker last season. He scored 16 goals in a team with poor attacking firepower, and his value goes beyond goals—he can hold up the ball and help the team progress.

Tottenham performed much better with Solanke in the team last season, and they urgently need him back in the short term, even if they are looking for an upgrade in the market in the long run.

Postecoglou is clearly unsure about his best forward combination. He has a lot of players at his disposal but hasn’t found one he likes yet. In 18 games so far, he has used 14 different front-four combinations, never using the same one more than twice.