Tottenham abort pre-agreed signing with star to potentially join Prem rival

Steve Pearson 15 Mar 2025 5:51 PM

Tottenham Hotspur have pulled the plug on a winger Ange Postecoglou previously destroyed and the star’s future could now lay elsewhere in the Premier League.

Eyebrows were raised when Tottenham curiously sanctioned a second loan deal for Timo Werner last summer. The German had done little to warrant a second chance after struggling during his initial six-month spell in north London.

Nevertheless, Tottenham saw fit to extend the olive branch and what’s followed has done little to aid Spurs’ cause.

In and around injuries Werner has notched one goal and provided just three assists in 27 appearances this season. After a particularly dire display against Rangers in the Europa League group phase, Werner’s manager dished out a verbal lashing.

“When you’ve got 18-year-olds [in the squad], it [that performance] is not acceptable to me. I said that to Timo, he’s a German international,” said Postecoglou.

The Spurs boss added: “In the moment we’re in right now – it’s not like we’ve got many options – I need everyone to at least be going out there and trying to give the best of themselves. His performance in the first half wasn’t acceptable.

“We need everybody, including him, to be contributing because we don’t have the depth to leave people out if they perform poorly. I expect a level of performance from some of the senior guys, and tonight wasn’t that.”

TEAMtalk were informed on March 13 that Spurs will not take up the €12m/£10.1m option to buy in Werner’s loan agreement. And per the latest from Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Werner’s problems don’t end there.

After confirming Spurs won’t sign Werner to a permanent deal, Plettenberg suggested it’s by no means guaranteed Werner is welcomed back at RB Leipzig where his contract will have one year remaining.

TEAMtalk understands Werner does hold interest from multiple MLS sides, most notably New York Red Bulls. That link should not come as a surprise given Leipzig and the New York side are both under the RB umbrella.

Plettenberg confirmed our reporting about American interest, though also stressed Werner’s camp are receiving enquiries from other Premier League clubs. As such, we may not have seen the last of Werner in England once his Spurs loan concludes.

“Tottenham will not trigger the €12m option to buy for Timo Werner,” wrote Plettenberg on X. “As a result, he is set to return to RB Leipzig after the season, according to the current plan.

“Much will depend on who succeeds Marco Rose if the coach leaves RB in the summer. At the moment, Werner is not inclined to move within the Bundesliga.

“There are still concrete enquiries from the Premier League and MLS. His current salary at Leipzig is around €10m gross/year.”