Transfer Turnaround
After a week of strong results, Spurs Men got a couple of important reinforcements in at the close of the transfer window. With several key players set to return from injury over the next week, we could finally be seeing the end of the injury crisis—though it's claimed another ligament.
In this issue: Brentford recap | Manchester United recap | Previewing Liverpool | Transfer Talk: January window review
The trajectory is looking less rosy for Spurs Women, with a couple of difficult fixtures following the latest loss.
It's another high-pressure cup week coming up, this time only on the Men's side.
PL Matchday 24 recap | Brentford 0 - 2 Tottenham
Janelt (OG) 29', Sarr 87'
It was such a relief to get back to winning ways in the Premier League after a tough stretch. There's definitely been some energy conservation happening in the last couple of games, but strong defense made the difference against Brentford to protect the narrow lead. Pape Sarr, coming off the bench, finished a lovely team goal to secure the three points.
Starting XI:
It was fortunate that Djed Spence was available again since Radu Drăgușin is now out for the season with an ACL, leaving us with yet another matchday where the backline essentially picked itself. Sergio Reguilón was the only senior defender available from the bench, joined by two Academy players who have yet to make their senior debuts.
Top three things:
- Set pieces continue to bear fruit. Son Heung-min nearly scored another Olimpico, but his corner kick ended up deflecting in off the back of Vitaly Janelt.
- Defensive leadership. Ben Davies has been putting together a solid run of form, with two clean sheets on the bounce, but his leadership has been just as important as the blocks and tackles he's put in. Archie Gray cited Davies as an important mentor on the pitch.
It’s a joy to play with him. He pretty much talks me through every moment because of how experienced he is—he’s seen everything in the Premier League—and it makes it 100 times easier playing with players like Ben, Radu, Micky, Cuti when he’s back.
- Super sub Sarr. It wasn't the best performance we've ever seen from Brentford, but it still felt like a game where the result wouldn't be truly comfortable without a second goal. Pape Sarr came off the bench and made a brilliant striker-esque run to receive a shrewd through ball from Son and scored with a nutmeg shot on the Brentford keeper.
We jumped up two places in the PL standings, although we're still decidedly in the bottom half for now. The prospect of getting dragged into the relegation battle is looking less and less likely, though, especially as we'll be getting a handful of players back from injury over the next few games. Add in the new transfers and the fact that we're still alive in all three cups and things are looking much rosier than they were post-Leicester loss.
SAtP Player of the Match: Djed Spence
With the caveat that I would love to see Djed start getting onto the scoresheet with some assists more often as the next step in his development, his defensive contribution cannot be overlooked at a time when the team is stretched very thin in that department. He's handling some of the best attackers in the league with ease—and dare I say flair? It's kind of nice to see a player look like he's actually having fun out there while also making a tangible impact.
Honorable mentions go to Son Heung-min for his 1.5 goal contributions (forcing an own goal should surely count as half a contribution...) and Antonín Kinský for earning his first Premier League clean sheet in just his fourth appearance in the competition.
Notable & quotable:
• We broke a seven-game winless streak in the PL.
• This was the first time we've done the league double over Brentford.
• We have now won a game at every active PL ground; we've won at 56 distinct grounds out of the 61 total in the competition's history.
• Son Heung-min picked up his first yellow card of the league campaign.
• As noted above, this was Kinský's first league clean sheet, in addition to the one clean sheet apiece in the League Cup and FA Cup so far.
• Dane Scarlett made his first PL appearance of the season.
• Archie Gray on the full-team defensive effort:
The moment that summed it up was Richy throwing himself in front of that shot in the first half, that sent a message to everyone on the pitch, 'this is what we need to do'. He set an example for everyone and the way he worked today was unbelievable, as did everyone else, I’m so proud of everyone.
WSL Matchday 13 recap | Tottenham 0 - 1 Manchester United
Terland 6'
It was nice while it lasted to feel optimistic about the "big games" last season, but it seems we've regressed back to not putting in a real challenge. Sure, the scoreline didn't get ugly this time against Manchester United, but I didn't feel like we ever truly looked like scoring—except for one chance for Hayley Raso that she sent about ten feet wide of the goal, being generous.
But I think the most troublesome aspect of the regression is that our overall playing style has become less entertaining. The performance on Sunday did not feel befitting of the big stadium. United played their part in that downturn with Marc Skinner's conservative tactics, but I think it's fair to say that Robert Vilahamn's team look like a shadow of their formerly free-flowing selves from his first season in charge.
Starting XI:
Since Vilahamn had rotated heavily in the midweek cup game (a gamble that didn't pay off for either fixture in the end) most of the changes were expected, but Josefine Rybrink getting a start for her Spurs debut was a surprise. With Eveliina Summanen still out of action, Rybrink lined up in the midfield pivot alongside Maite Oroz rather than playing at her more traditional role of centerback.
Top three things:
- Lackluster debut for Rybrink. She's going to want to forget this one. I suspect that part of the issue was inadequate preparation from the manager, because she often looked unsure about her positioning on the pitch. But the upshot is too often she went missing in action and failed to affect the game. The one time she did make a noticeable impact it was a negative one; her poor clearance out of the box gave United possession to set up the sole goal of the game.
- Lack of physicality in defense. I do think we've gotten much better at defensive positioning in recent league games, but we're still getting shrugged off the ball or outmaneuvered by attackers—as was the case with Elisabeth Terland pulling off a tricky volley to get around Ash Neville for the United goal. Neville was there, but she didn't put in enough of a challenge.
- Losing the game management battle. It was frustrating to see Skinner be more proactive with his substitutions than Vilahamn when we were the team chasing the game. One of Skinner's initial subs was enforced due to an injury to Dominique Janssen, but he used the opportunity to bring out two additional changes as well. Meanwhile, Vilahamn didn't make any swaps until there were less than 15 minutes left (excluding stoppage). Not only do his delayed substitutions prevent us from getting a toehold in the game in a timely manner, he's also not giving those subs enough time to properly make their case for more match minutes in future games.
On a positive note, we stayed in 6th place and Brighton above us only gained one point in their draw with Crystal Palace. We also get a nice long break to work on some of these issues in training since we aren't involved in the cup games this week and won't play again until the 16th. I'll preview that match (the away NLD) when the time comes.
SAtP Player of the Match: Maite Oroz
While I wouldn't say anyone had a great game, Oroz is at least making progress since her return from injury.
Honorable mention goes to Molly Bartrip for some important headed clearances that kept the goal difference from taking a serious hit.
Notable & quotable:
• Clare Hunt on the committed defending after the early concession:
I think defensively, we defended for our lives to be honest and we showed how capable we are defensively, hopefully in the games moving forward, we don’t give them that chance in the opening minute.
• Robert Vilahamn on the result:
You need to remind yourself that if you think you are going to dominate against the best teams in the league... We are not there yet.
I saw some details where I feel like we are taking steps... It's only 1-0 and they only had two shots on target.
Spurs only had two shots on target as well, for the record. And again, I don't think the expectation was necessarily that we would dominate against United, but that we would at least match the spirited efforts of the last few games against them (not including the disastrous FA Cup final). The sense of going backward is the most concerning takeaway.
Previewing Men's League Cup Semi-final (Away Leg) — Liverpool
The second leg is here, ready or not.
We carry a 1-0 advantage from the home leg, but the personnel situation has changed. Dominic Solanke and Radu Drăgușin both started in that match and are now injured, but there are several players who were injured then that are either back in contention outright or possible inclusions for the matchday squad, not to mention the two new signings who will be eligible to play (more on them in the transfer section).
Unfortunately, Micky van de Ven is now considered "unlikely" to be involved since the club is treating his full return from injury with caution in light of Drăgușin's season-ending injury. Cristian Romero is even further off a return.
Ange Postecoglou expounded on his line of thinking in the pre-match press conference:
After losing Radu, I sat down and thought about what we had ahead of us still... don't get me wrong, we've got a couple of massive games this week, for sure, but we've also bought ourselves a couple of weeks without midweek fixtures (in February) and beyond that, Europe kicks in, which is massive for us, hopefully we're in a final in the Carabao Cup, hopefully we’re still in the FA Cup. I just don’t see the sense right now in risking that.
The good news is that Van de Ven doesn't appear to have reinjured his hamstring, so there's that.
Liverpool's only injury is Trent Alexander-Arnold.
I hesitate to say too much else in this preview. It's going to be a difficult game no matter what, being at Anfield, and Liverpool undoubtedly have the stronger squad availability. A neutral would probably consider this a perfect opportunity for Liverpool to overturn the aggregate deficit and reach the final, but I'm choosing to believe that we still have enough left in the tank—as well as the desire, most importantly—to finish the job. Although we only need a draw to hold onto the aggregate lead, I don't think that's the Postecoglou way. We'll be going for it, albeit not at maximum ability.
A reminder that VAR will be in use as well as in-stadium VAR announcements. If Liverpool were to tie it up on aggregate before the end of the 90 minutes the game would go to extra time, and then a penalty shootout after that if needed.
If we do indeed make it to the final, we'll be facing Newcastle United on March 16 at Wembley.
We also have the FA Cup match against Aston Villa to contend with on the weekend, but I'm not even going to think about that one until we see who gets out of this one unscathed.
Transfer talk
I'll round up the last few transfer moves on the Men's side for the senior and Academy teams, then I'll recap the overall transfer business for both senior teams.
• Kevin Danso signed on a loan deal until the end of the season with an obligation to make the move permanent. The 26-year-old centerback joins us from RC Lens in Ligue 1. He also plays for Austria internationally. Danso will be wearing shirt #4.
Before Drăgușin's injury, Danso could have been seen as useful depth until Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero have fully returned to fitness, but now his signing has become an outright necessity.
• Mathys Tel also signed on loan, but only with an option to buy. He joins us from Bayern Munich where he's seen limited match minutes under his third manager since signing for der Rekordmeister, but he's already made several milestones with the Bundesliga club, including scoring on his debut and becoming the club's youngest-ever goal-scorer (pipping none other than Jamal Musiala). He has also scored in the Champions League. Internationally, the 19-year-old plays for France's U21s alongside Wilson Odobert.
Look, I'm not going to pretend to be objective about this one, but I will say that I see it as a win-win for my personal rooting interests. Spurs get a versatile attacker (he can play across the forward line, though I prefer to see him play at striker) with exceptional finishing and savvy movement in a moment where the injury crisis has put too much strain on a few select players. Bayern gets some time to decide who they want to rely on in the long term amongst the club's many attacking options and see if Tel fits into those plans. Whether or not Harry Kane decamps back to the Premier League immediately after winning a (likely) Bundesliga title has a lot to do with that calculus. And for Tel himself? He gets some much-needed (and deserved) game time to show what he can do and continue to develop.
I have to say I'm pretty annoyed with some of the nonsensical discourse I've seen in our fanbase around Tel's transfer. I always think it's important to remember that a) we can't believe everything you read during transfer season and b) we can never truly know a player's motivations.
I think young Mathys should have been shown a lot more grace while he was making this important decision, which I will note probably felt very fraught since he only just recommitted to Bayern with a new contract last season. You cannot blame him for wanting to make it work in Munich. Harry Kane's arrival last season complicated his trajectory, as has the club's inability to move on other players who share his possible positions (I'm looking at you, Kingsley Coman; thanks for the Champions League title but it's time to go.). Not to belabor the point, but I did predict at the time of Kane's transfer that he would be blocking Tel's development path, and that has certainly borne out. With Kane's tenure at Bayern uncertain it probably makes more sense for Tel to advance his career elsewhere rather than try to wait Kane out, but it's always a risk to move to a new league and new club, especially when there were multiple clubs interested in signing him. Reporting suggests that Ange Postecoglou's pitch for Tel's role in the Tottenham squad was a deciding factor in Tel choosing Spurs and we have half a season to convince him he's made the right choice.
I'll be speaking about Tel's transfer in much more depth on the next Tottenham Depot episode—because god knows I still have a lot of thoughts to get out—so keep an ear out for that.
• The Men's Academy made four new signings this window:
- Dan Batty from Manchester City on a deal until 2028 — attacking midfielder, 18 years old
- Luca Furnell-Gill from Liverpool on a contract until 2028 — centerback, 18 years old
- Reiss-Alexander Russell-Denny from Chelsea on a deal until 2028 — central midfielder, 18 years old
- Mason Melia from St Patrick's Athletic on a contract until 2031, joining in January 2026 — forward, 17 years old
Grading the windows
Spurs Women had an even balance of incoming and outgoing transfers to the senior team.
In - Olivia Holdt (2027), Lize Kop (2028), Josefine Rybrink (2025)
Out - Katelin Talbert (end of loan), Araya Dennis (loan to Southampton), Wang Shuang (permanent transfer)
Holdt represents a replacement—half a season too late—for Grace Clinton, although it's hard to tell yet if she can be a literal replacement of quality since we've barely seen her in action yet (she was still rehabbing an injury when she arrived at Spurs). It's a tall ask for her to shoulder the burden of creativity in the side but we desperately need a dynamic playmaker.
Kop was a surprise signing since we had been heavily rumored to be signing Jennifer Falk instead. Although she has some clear strengths (physical presence in the box, decent passing under pressure) she hasn't been the most reliable shot-stopper yet. It's a small sample size so far, of course, having only featured in the three league games since she joined (she was cup-tied for both cup matches).
The least exciting transfer of the window was Rybrink, yet another ex-Häcken player from Robert Vilahamn's tenure at the Swedish club. While she somewhat matches the profile to fill in for Eveliina Summanen during her injury absence, there's a difference between a player whose preferred position is DM and a player who can play there in a pinch. Rybrink is typically better suited to centerback and it showed in her first appearance for the club in a midfield role; she looked overwhelmed by her positional duties and rarely made proactive efforts to get on the ball. We can't afford to have passengers in a team that is already looking less fluid and attacking than last season's iteration, so it's probably for the best that her contract is up in the summer. Perhaps she'll surprise us in the remaining games, but I would feel fairly confident that she'll be moving on just as suddenly as she arrived.
The outgoings weren't particularly unexpected. Talbert's loan never really made sense and she didn't do enough in her one appearance to earn an extended stay. Dennis needs more senior match experience, and with the team already knocked out of both cups her opportunities would probably have been few and far between with Tottenham. It's disappointing that it never worked out for Wang at Spurs, but for whatever reason Vilahamn didn't seem to favor her—despite the fact that she could bring a different profile to the midfield than the usual suspects. Fitness may also have been a determining factor in the club letting her go after just a year and limited appearances.
Overall, it wasn't a window that pushed the needle for Spurs. Holdt and Kop have plenty of time to come good, but couldn't help the team avoid a double cup exit this month (fitness for Holdt, eligibility for Kop). And there's still a lingering sense of ambivalence from the club when it comes to signing players to match the stated ambition for the Women's team. In a window where other clubs were paying big (even record-breaking) transfer fees and attracting top talent, Spurs have yet to sign another player of the caliber and cost of Beth England, who joined two January windows ago. The mid-table finishes are a feature, not a bug, of the club's strategy for Spurs Women.
Spurs Women January transfer grade: C-
(and wholly dependent on Holdt working out as well as hoped)
The transfer business was less gradual for Spurs Men, with one early signing and then two near the deadline.
In - Antonín Kinský (2031), Kevin Danso (loan with obligation to buy), Mathys Tel (loan with option to buy), Dane Scarlett (return from loan)
Out - Will Lankshear (loan to West Bromwich Albion), Yang Min-hyeok (loan to Queens Park Rangers)
Contract updates - Son Heung-min (one-year option taken up)
In a numerical sense, it still feels slightly inadequate on the incomings front; another centerback would have made a huge difference, not just in covering for currently injured players but also for ensuring Archie Gray can get some actual minutes in the midfield at some point. As it is, the Academy centerbacks need to stay ready since there's still a non-zero chance they could be called upon before the injury crisis resolves. But the players we did sign are promising prospects—one of whom will need to be encouraged to stay after his loan ends.
I struggle to see any downside to the Kinský signing. He's already proven his worth with a vital clean sheet in the League Cup semi-final first leg and has showcased a wide range of skills in his other appearances so far. Most importantly, he'll provide competition for Guglielmo Vicario—as well as a succession plan, not that Vicario is anywhere near needing a successor yet. But we saw how costly the lack of such a plan for Hugo Lloris' departure was and have wisely ensured we can avoid it happening again.
I'll admit that Danso is an unknown quantity to me (much as Kinský was before he made his Spurs debut), but the simple truth is that we need centerback reinforcement and he seems to be a well-rounded option—and approaching peak age, too. The question will be if he can translate his previous experience (primarily in the Bundesliga and Ligue 1, although he made a handful of appearances for Southampton in the Premier League as well) into the English game. There's no chance of him languishing on the bench any time soon with Radu Drăgușin out for the season and Cristian Romero still weeks away from returning, so we'll find out soon enough.
I've been on the Tel hype train since he made his debut for Bayern Munich, so I'm obviously very keen on this loan signing (hopefully to be converted to a permanent deal in the summer). Bayern's loss is our gain. In a season where we've already seen how valuable players like Gray and Djed Spence can be, Tel's versatility will make him another key player in the squad. And I think Spurs fans will be pleasantly surprised by his maturity and quality at such a young age.
Both outgoing loans were a bit sad from the perspective of hoping Lankshear and Yang would get a chance to continue their development at Spurs and help out during the injury crisis, but I can't be upset about them getting experience in the testing ground of the Championship. Plus, Lankshear's temporary departure gives Scarlett an opportunity to finally integrate into the senior team after a string of loans.
Then there was Son's one-year contract extension which can't be overlooked in importance. Keeping him at the club for at least one more year provides stability in the leadership ranks and gives the many young players in the squad (especially those who play his position) more time to learn from a world-class mentor. It was a no-brainer. He currently leads the team in PL goal contributions so it's not like he's slouching in his productivity on the pitch.
Taken as a whole and acknowledging the constraints of this window (delayed end to the European competitions' initial phases compared to previous seasons, our lack of guaranteed European football next season, etc.), the club did very decent transfer business. I think we will end up looking back on it quite favorably despite the stress of the last-minute nature of the final two signings. However, there's still a lot of work to be done in the summer window to ensure we don't risk another injury crisis of this magnitude next season. We didn't have the luxury of upgrading at the #6 position, which will surely be high on the to-do list after this season ends. In the short term, I think we've done enough to feel fairly confident in finishing the cup runs strong and regaining some ground in the league, even if it may be too late to qualify for Europe without winning one of the aforementioned cups. Certainly, we can keep our fears of relegation in the past.
Spurs Men January transfer grade: B+
(it would be a solid A- if the Tel deal was guaranteed to be permanent, but alas)
I am relieved to see the back of this transfer window because the rumor mill and resulting discourse—mostly on the Men's side—was downright unbearable this time around. I am begging our fanbase to find some chill before the next window opens because I cannot sustain that level of angst over an entire summer. Cheers.
It was a transfer window with plenty of surprises, so it only feels right to close with this hilarious picture of Mathys.
Voilà!
COYS
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