Grading the summer transfer window: Tottenham Hotspur

Yes, yes, I know. The transfer window has faded into the mist, but the fog still has the scent of its trail. Doesn’t it? The point is that it has only been about a month since the transfer window and slammed shut – and we are yet to speak of the business that Tottenham Hotspur did in the window.

The summer window of 2017 was the biggest ever in the history of the game. Most of the affluent clubs in the Premier League went absolutely berserk in the transfer market. Indeed, with over a billion pounds spent, this past window witnessed the most amount of money spent in the summer transfer window by Premier League clubs.

And Tottenham were among the ones that kept their urges under control and spent as wisely as they possibly could. At one stage – after 6 weeks of the transfer window, to be precise – the fans were getting restless due to the fact the Lilywhites hadn’t signed a single player by then.

However, by the end of the deadline day, Daniel Levy brought in five players to help Spurs with their quest of winning the Premier League. And so here we are, trying to make sense of how their signings fared up…

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OUTS

#1 Kyle Walker

Walker became the most expensive defender in history before Mendy broke that record

It is never a good idea to sell one of your best players to a rival club. However, with Manchester City showing aggressive intent for the right-back – coupled with the England international’s insistence on leaving the club – Spurs had to sell their asset, but they got a lot of money for it.

While there is no doubt that Kyle Walker is one of the best full-backs in the league, Spurs have gotten a lot of money for a player that had only two truly world-class seasons at the White Hart Lane. Also, the fact that Walker’s final-delivery isn’t yet up there with the greats makes the deal even better.

But, it can’t be denied that Spurs have lost a great player – someone who made a difference in their attack – and they would have certainly missed his surging runs had they not signed the mercurial Serge Aurier.

Since Spurs have an apt replacement for Walker already, selling him wasn't all that bad. Hence, a 6/10.

#2 Kevin Wimmer

Wimmer couldn't find his feet Tottenham

When Kevin Wimmer was bought from Koln in the summer of 2015, he filled the hearts of the fans with hope and expectations. The Austrian came off the back of a brilliant season in Germany after being promoted to the first team of Koln.

He took to first-team football like a duck takes to water, establishing himself as the indispensable starter at the club. The former Espanyol tactician saw potential in him and sanctioned a deal for the then 22-year-old.

However, he couldn’t replicate the type of performances that he displayed in Germany. After not taking the chances given to him by Pochettino – limited as they might be – he was sold to Stoke for a fee of around €20 million, a €13 million profit for a player that they didn’t really need after the acquisition of Juan Foyth and Davinson Sanchez.

Hence, an 8/10.

INS

#1 Paulo Gazzaniga

Gazzaniga has improved a lot over the last year

The awkwardly named Argentinean was bought from Southampton as a cover for French captain, Hugo Lloris, who is strangely becoming and more prone to error these days. Although he is being thought to be the third-choice ‘keeper at the club after Lloris and Vorm, I get the gut feeling that he is someone to look out for in the future.

Standing at 195 meters above the ground, the Argentine is a tall goalkeeper and showed immense improvement in his year-long loan spell at Rayo Vallecano last year. It is for this reason that Pochettino opted to sign the player he managed at Southampton for a year.

Given that Lloris is becoming a little too error-prone for anyone’s liking, it wouldn’t be surprising if Pochettino decides to field his compatriot in the starting XI in an attempt to try him out.

He is yet to make his debut with the Lilywhites, but I would rate him at 3/10.

#2 Juan Foyth

Foyth in action for Spurs

The Lilywhites may have had the best defence in the Premier League last season, but it was their bench-strength in that area that was a cause of concern for the former Southampton boss. While both Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld are perhaps the best in their position in England, Spurs didn’t have anyone similarly good waiting in the wings capable of replacing any of them in case of absentees.

However, with the addition of two promising centre-halves in the summer window, Spurs fans can now boast to have the best all-round defence in the Premier League. And one of them is Juan Foyth.

The Argentine is a relatively unknown youngster in Europe but has made a name for himself in Argentina with his performances for his former club, Estudiantes. Despite being only 19 years-old, Foyth has a sense of maturity in him.

However, what makes him very suited to Tottenham’s style is his ability to pass the ball. With his inclusion, every defender at Tottenham has tremendous ball-playing ability. This is why he is a 7/10 signing.

#3 Fernando Llorente

Llorente is a World Cup-winning forward

If you have been on Twitter for a while, you will remember those ‘Fernando Llorente to Spurs deal done’ tweets that were posted back in the early part of the decade. Back then, the forward was one of those players who was consistently linked to the White Hart Lane, but those rumours never really came to fruition.

However, he is finally here – but he finds his home at Wembley as Tottenham have made it their home-ground for the current year due to the ongoing expansion of the Lane. The former Athletic player is not at his peak anymore, but he comes to a team with plenty of experience under his belt.

He has already played in Spain, Italy and England before finally joining the London outfit this summer. The thing with Llorente is that he was never really about pace or technical ability, instead, it has always been his holding up and aerial strength that made him a lethal striker.

He might not even end up as one of the club’s top three scorers, but Spurs will surely benefit a lot from his presence, which is why he is a 7/10.

#4 Davinson Sanchez

Davinson Sanchez broke Spurs' club record this summer

The hilarious nature of the fans always comes out during the transfer window. For the first 6 weeks of the transfer window, when Spurs didn’t bring in anyone – and were the only team in England, at that point, to do so – fans were wailing for someone to be signed.

It didn’t matter who the player was – anyone with a pair of hands and legs would do, just sign someone at least – Spurs fans were just desperate to see a new face. However, when they broke their transfer record for Davinson Sanchez, some of the very same fans were disgruntled at signing a young and inexperienced defender for such a huge amount of money.

However, from what he has showcased thus far, he already looks like a great signing for the North London club as the Colombian’s ability on the ball has helped Mauricio Pochettino field a backline with utmost ball-playing qualities. A good 7.5/10.

#5 Serge Aurier

Aurier is a very talented right-back

Whenever the name Serge Aurier reaches a person that is aware of his past antics, the word ‘homophobic’ is murmured before the drop of the c-bomb. And they are perhaps justified in doing so due to the temperamental and volatile nature of the Ivorian.

However, if you keep his personality aside – which is very difficult to overlook, I admit – he is actually a great right-back that has all it takes to be the greatest ever African right-back. While this might sound like an exaggeration to many, it simply isn’t.

He is strong, quick, agile, knows how to tackle and put in a cross and is also very good when it comes to beating his man. What he lacks for in positional awareness, he makes up with his pace and tackling ability.

The fact that he cost Spurs about half the price for which the Lilywhites sold Walker is a massive coup in itself. If he can keep his attitude in check, he will be a star for Spurs. A solid 8.5/10 for him.