
Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League • England
Levy picks dream Kane heir but €60m Tottenham swoop is put on hold as Postecoglou prioritises two other transfers

Tottenham target Santiago Gimenez
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy will reportedly do all in his power to push through the signing of Santiago Gimenez in 2024, though his €60m signing is more likely to go through in the summer with Ange Postecoglou targeting two other deals in January as a priority.
Spurs waved farewell to their talismanic and all-time record goalscorer Harry Kane over the summer, with the England captain since underlining just how good he is by blitzing his way to an astonishing 22 goals in just 20 appearances since his move Bayern Munich.
His exit left Tottenham with quite the considerable hole to fill, though the brilliant form and rejuvenation of Son Heung-min has gone plenty to ensure Kane has not been missed with the loveable South Korean forward banging in 10 goals in 16 appearances so far.
And with Tottenham using their summer Bayern windfall wisely – adding James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Brennan Johnson and Guglielmo Vicario to their ranks – there is a school of thought that suggests Kane’s absence has not been too badly felt.
However, there is little doubt that Postecoglou would love to get his hands on a new number nine to fill the void left by Kane. And despite links to the likes of Dusan Vlahovic and Ivan Toney, it’s reported that Feyenoord frontman Gimenez has now emerged as their No 1 target.
The prolific Mexico international has been on Spurs’ radar since the summer after a brilliant debut campaign with Arne Slot’s side.
And the 22-year-old has picked up where he left off, netting 20 goals in 20 games so far this season, leading to growing interest in his services.
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Tottenham not put off by €60m Santiago Gimenez valuation
Now, according to reports, Levy and Postecoglou have decided between them that Gimenez is their top choice to step into the Kane role in their side.
Feyenoord will not let their brilliant striker leave without a fight though and are reportedly demanding a whopping €60m (£51.6m) for his signature.
Nonetheless, while Spurs are seemingly happy to meet that asking price, it appears a January move for the 24-times capped Mexico international is unlikely to go through in the January window, with a summer approach seen as far more likely.
That’s because Postecoglou is putting his January focus on strengthening two other positions which are seen as more of a priority for Tottenham right now.
First up, the Aussie coach wants to sign a new midfielder to cover the absence of Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr. The pair have established themselves as a first-choice pairing in Spurs’ preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, putting in a series of hard-working and lung-busting displays in the engine room.
However, with a trip to the African Cup of Nations on the cards in the new year, Spurs will be forced to rely on Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojberg, two players Gary Neville has explained why they aren’t good enough and could cost Tottenham a top-four spot.
That situation has been exasperated by the red card given to Bissouma on Friday night during the 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest. Initially cautioned by the referee, the card was upgraded after a VAR review.
And given it was the Malian’s second dismissal of the season – he also saw red in October’s 1-0 victory at Luton – it means he now faces a four-game suspension, that’ll mean he won’t be seen in a Tottenham shirt until the end of January at the earliest.
Postecoglou targets new defender and midfielder
Signing a new midfielder is likely to be Tottenham priority No 1 now in January.
However, the Spurs boss is also desperate to add another centre-half to his mix, having seen his squad brutally exposed for their weakness there in recent weeks.
With Cristian Romero recently serving a suspension and with Van de Ven suffering a serious hamstring injury that will sideline the Dutchman until January, Postecoglou was recently forced to use full-backs Emerson Royal and Ben Davies as an emergency centre-half pairing.
As a result, Postecoglou is desperate to bring another name in, with the likes of Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah and Sebastien Caceres among the names being linked to Tottenham.
Either way, Postecoglou is desperate to ensure Tottenham are not sold as short again in the centre of their defence and believes that, alongside the possible addition of another central midfielder, will have to take priority over the addition of a new striker in the January window.
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