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After a long summer of rumours and deals, the transfer window slams shut this Friday, and while Tottenham Hotspur has been relatively busy this summer, there is still time to make a couple more signings.

Ange Postecoglou must go one better than last season and lead the club back into the Champions League places come May, but to help him do that, Daniel Levy and Co must bring him more firepower.

Interestingly, the club were linked with an exciting winger outside of Europe's top five leagues earlier this month, and while he might not be a name fans are overly familiar with, he could challenge Brennan Johnson for his place in the team.

More importantly, though, there are shades of a certain Gareth Bale in him as well.

Bale's Spurs legacy

So, when it comes to the best Tottenham players in recent history, the top two in the eyes of most fans will probably be Harry Kane and Son Heung-min and for good reason.

However, if you go back just a bit further, it's hard to deny that Bale is almost unmatched in terms of pure technical skill and ability to single-handedly win games.

The Welshman spent six years in North London, and while he struggled to begin with, he gradually moved up the pitch and established himself as one of the best wingers in Europe, let alone the Premier League.

In his final campaign with the Lilywhites, before he moved to Real Madrid for a world record £85m, he scored 26 goals and provided ten assists in 44 appearances, equating to an unreal average of a goal involvement once every 1.22 games from left midfield and left wing.

There is no denying that at his peak, he was one of the greatest attackers in the world, and while this latest start touted for a move to Tottenham shouldn't be held up to that standard, he shares some characteristics with the icon.

The player in question is Club Brugge gem Andreas Skov Olsen, who caught the North Londoners' attention back in March, per a report from Voetbalkrant, and while there was no mention of a concrete price for the winger then, more recent reports touting other sides for the star claim that offers of around £25m would be enough to get the deal done.

Now, the similarities between the Danish international and the former Real star stem from their style of play, with data analyst Ben Mattinson claiming that the 24-year-old loves "cutting in on his left foot" and "shooting from distance", which sounds a lot like the player the Welshman was during his final campaign in England.

Moreover, Mattinson describes the Brugge ace as a "quality goal-scoring, physical winger" who possesses a "deadly left-foot", and like the Welshman, he's also over 6 foot, coming in at a strong 6 foot 2, which would only help him keep Premier League defenders at bay.

Lastly, the former Bologna gem has also proven himself to be a real goal threat in recent seasons, and this last similarity he shares with Bale could also be why he'd offer Johnson so much competition at Tottenham.

How Skov Olsen compares to Johnson

Okay, so if Skov Olsen was to come in as some extra competition for Johnson out on the right, it's worth comparing their output from last season, and unfortunately for the former Nottingham Forest ace, it's not a comparison that goes well for him.

For example, in his 38 appearances across both teams last season, the Welshman scored five goals and provided ten assists, and while that means he maintained an impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.53 games, it pales in comparison to the Dane.

In his 50 appearances for Brugge last season, the left-footed dynamo scored a whopping 26 goals and provided eight assists for good measure.

This means that he averaged a goal involvement once every 1.47 games, and while you have to take into account the weaker league, that is still an outrageously impressive level of output and should certainly encourage Spurs to pursue the exciting talent.

Ultimately, Tottenham are not going to find the next Bale in Skov Olsen, but he shares some similarities with the iconic winger, and from his incredible form last season, he looks like an ideal candidate to help get even more out of Postecoglou's attacking style of football.

Therefore, Levy and Co should do what they can to bring him to N17 this summer.

Tottenham Hotspur will have a finalised and settled squad by the time they kick off at St. James' Park against Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday.

The summer transfer window officially slams shut on Friday night and that means that Ange Postecoglou and Daniel Levy still have a few days left to get business done.

Spurs have picked up four points from their first two matches of the top-flight season. They were held to a 1-1 by Leicester City and thumped Everton 4-0.

Heung-min Son scored twice, with goals from Yves Bissouma and Cristian Romero, in the hammering of the Toffees on Saturday, in what was a performance that will, hopefully, be built on in the weeks and months to come.

Despite scoring five goals in their first two Premier League games, there is still room for improvement in the attacking third for the Lilywhites - particularly in the wide areas.

Tottenham could still make further additions to their squad in that area of the pitch and could land an upgrade on one of their lesser performers.

One player whose performances on the pitch in the last 12 months or so have left a bit to be desired is former Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson.

Brennan Johnson's struggles with Spurs

Tottenham swooped to sign the Wales international from the Tricky Trees for a reported fee of £47.5m in the summer of 2023, after he had produced eight goals and three assists in 38 Premier League games in the 2022/23 campaign.

Johnson did not endure a terrible first year in London with the Lilywhites but it is fair to say that he has had his share of struggles on the pitch, particularly with his end product in the final third from a right wing position.

The 23-year-old attacker's finishing was certainly questionable as he did not make the most of the opportunities that were created for him in the Premier League.

In 35 appearances in the top-flight for Spurs, Johnson only found the back of the net five times. He missed a staggering 17 'big chances' and racked up 10.61 xG, which means that the forward underperformed his expected tally by almost six goals.

Meanwhile, the former Forest star racked up an eye-catching return of ten assists in those 35 outings, despite only creating 4.5 xA worth of chances for his teammates.

These statistics show that the winger let the team down badly with his wasteful finishing whilst his own assist numbers were inflated by high-quality finishing from his fellow attackers.

As you can see in the table above, Johnson has also endured a difficult start to the current campaign, with zero goals, assists, or 'big chances' created in two matches.

The Welshman has started both games and did not contribute directly to any of the five goals scored, whilst he also failed with both of his attempted dribbles and made just one key pass.

This means that the speedster has produced five goals and missed 18 'big chances' in the Premier League since the start of last season, and Postecoglou could unearth an upgrade on him by dipping into the market to secure one of the club's reported targets.

Tottenham's interest in Turkish wizard

Earlier this summer, Turkish outlet Haber3 reported that Tottenham Hotspur are one of a number of English teams interested in signing Baris Yilmaz from Galatasaray.

The outlet claimed that Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion are also keen on the young forward to bolster their respective squads.

This means that there could be strong competition to secure his services if the race or his signature heats up between now and Friday's deadline.

It was revealed that the Super Lig giants would demand a fee within the region of €30m (£25m) to part ways with the Turkey international before the end of the window.

Whilst it remains to be seen whether or not Spurs will make a move for him, particularly after the signing of Odobert from Burnley, Yilmaz has the potential to be an excellent addition to the squad as a possible upgrade on Johnson out wide.

Why Spurs should sign Baris Yilmaz

The Lilywhites should make a late swoop to sign the 24-year-old attacker, who can play on the right or the left flank, because he could offer more than the Welshman in the final third.

Yilmaz, who was once lauded as a "very special" player by Gaziantep manager Selcuk Inan, has started the current campaign with one goal and five chances created in two Super Lig games.

He has completed 2.5 dribbles per game and created one 'big chance' to go along with that. This shows that the forward is a direct player who wants to take defenders on and create chances for his teammates at the top end of the pitch.

The right-footed sensation also showed plenty of promise in the 2023/24 campaign for the Turkish side, with 12 direct goal contributions in 37 appearances.

He produced six goals and six assists for his team from a wide position, which shows that the young whiz offers quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

As you can see in the table above, the underlying numbers suggest that Yilmaz's return was more impressive than Johnson's, despite being involved in three fewer goals.

The Galatasaray star created more high-quality chances, as shown by his xA, for his side than the Spurs man did, yet registered four fewer assists due to his teammates not being as clinical as Tottenham's.

He also outperformed his xG by almost two goals and this suggests that Yilmaz's goal return would be significantly higher if he was provided with the quality of chances that Johnson had in the Premier League, which is why Postecoglou could unearth an upgrade on his current winger by signing the £25m star.

Tottenham Hotspur have less than a week to go to complete the rest of the business they want to do before the summer transfer window officially slams shut.

One of their summer signings made his debut in the 4-0 win over Everton in London on Saturday, as Wilson Odobert was handed a start on the flank.

Dominic Solanke and Archie Gray have also been brought in and made their debuts in the 1-1 draw with Leicester City in the first match of the Premier League campaign.

There could be more to come, in terms of incoming, before Friday's deadline and they have been linked with one player who could avenge the howler they had with Clement Lenglet.

Tottenham's howler with Clement Lenglet

Daniel Levy swooped to sign the France international on a season-long loan from Spanish giants Barcelona in the summer of 2022 in an attempt to bolster Antonio Conte's squad.

The experienced defender came in to provide competition across the backline for the Italian head coach but endured a difficult season in England.

As you can see in the table above, he made two errors that directly led to a shot or a goal for the opposition and was dribbled past 18 times.

This suggests that he was prone to mistakes, in giving the ball away in dangerous areas and allowing players to dribble past him, at the heart of the defence, which is why the loan move did not work out in the end and they did not bring him back permanently.

Spurs could now avenge their Lenglet blunder

Levy could now avenge his blunder with Lenglet, who was far from an impressive performer for Spurs, by going back to Barcelona to sign another centre-back - Andreas Christensen.

Spanish outlet Sport recently reported that Tottenham are one of the sides interested in the Denmark international, who is available for £21m, and he could come in as a solid addition to the defensive unit.

In the 2023/24 campaign, Christensen made 30 appearances in LaLiga for Barcelona and caught the eye with his work in and out of possession.

The Danish colossus, who was once dubbed "extraordinary" by Xavi, completed 94% of his attempted passes in the league, compared to Lenglet's 87% with Spurs in the Premier League.

Christensen was also only dribbled past 12 times and did not make a single error that led to a shot or goal for the opposition, which suggests that he is far more reliable defensively than the Frenchman.

The former Chelsea ace would also bring aerial dominance to the team, as he won 71% of his duels in the air last season, and that could help Ange Postecoglou from set-pieces and when it comes to defending crosses, which was an issue for Jamie Vardy's goal against Leicester.

Overall, Christensen's form for Barcelona and his relatively cheap price tag at £21m suggests that he would be a shrewd signing to provide back-up to Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, whilst avenging the Lenglet howler by coming in as an impressive defender from Barcelona.

Tottenham Hotspur have enjoyed a promising start to the campaign, drawing away to Leicester City on the opening week before coolly dispatching Everton in north London.

Ange Postecoglou will be well aware that his squad made a blistering start to the 2023/24 season, however, and has strengthened throughout the summer to put Spurs in a better place to restore a spot in the Champions League and challenge for silverware.

The likes of Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, elite teenage talents both, will hope to stake claims at No. 6 after arriving down north London, especially with something of an air of uncertainty surrounding Yves Bissouma.

What's going on with Yves Bissouma

He might have scored as Tottenham claimed their first victory of the season, but Bissouma has got plenty to prove if he is to establish himself as one of Postecoglou's instrumental players this season.

An immense, technically proficient player, the Malian ranks among the top 2% of central midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 6% for passes attempted, the top 12% for progressive passes, the top 4% for tackles and the top 10% for interceptions per 90, as per FBref.

But last season he suffered a string of on-field disciplinary issues, receiving three separate suspensions in the Premier League, lacking composure and control.

As such, he cannot be trusted to thrive at the heart of the Spurs side throughout the duration of the campaign - especially with the return of Europa League football now looming.

As such, Tottenham are mulling over concluding their summer spending spree with one final piece to complete the engine room.

Spurs eyeing new midfielder

According to GIVEMESPORT earlier this week, Tottenham are keeping tabs on Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough, who is valued at about £25m.

The Championship side are unwilling to part with their prized midfielder before next week's deadline, but Spurs are persisting in their interest and are even willing to play the long game, should Boro's resolve prove unwavering.

However, with multiple top-flight outfits keen on a move, Tottenham might want to consider launching a move, especially given the need to strengthen the base of the midfield.

What Hayden Hackney would bring to Spurs

Last season, Hackney scored the winning goal as Middlesbrough defeated Chelsea 1-0 in the Carabao Cup. Sure, the Blues breezed into the final after confidently overturning the semi-final deficit in the second leg, but the Englishman's quality was illuminated.

It was the 22-year-old's first showcase of his talents against Premier League opposition, with his manager, Michael Carrick, hailing him for the "immense" performance.

Last season, in the Championship, Hackney played a key role in helping the Riversiders push toward the upper end of the table, ultimately falling short but coming on leaps and bounds and finishing eighth, four points off a promotion spot.

The fast-flowing style of football saw Boro rank fourth for progressive passes made throughout the campaign (2050), behind only the three sides relegated from the Premier League. Hackney, anchored at the base of the midfield, was essential to the success.

Indeed, as per FBref, he ranked among the top 13% of midfielders in England's second tier last year for pass completion, the top 2% for passes attempted, the top 1% for progressive passes and the top 13% for shot-creating actions per 90, emphasising the level of his ball-playing ability.

He'd be a wonderful addition and one who could be integrated into a strong mix of players, allowing him to get to grips with life down N17 without feeling overburdened.

After all, Spurs know all about landing an exciting talent from the EFL and nurturing them to the fore - just ask Dele Alli.

Hayden Hackney could be Ange's own Dele Alli

Postecoglou could repeat Tottenham's Alli masterstroke by securing this deal, having welcomed the former wonderkid to the club in 2015, signing him from MK Dons for £5m and beating off fierce competition from clubs such as Liverpool.

The 28-year-old had posted 16 goals and 11 assists across all competitions during his final campaign in League One before making the leap right to the top of the pyramid, aged only 18.

He scored 67 goals and supplied 61 assists across 269 appearances for Tottenham, and though his output declined toward the end as he headed toward dark days, the England international performed at an obscene level at the start, notching 97 goal contributions over his opening three top-flight campaigns alone.

Jose Mourinho claimed that he would become "one of the world's best", and while external factors have led to a demise for the current Everton player, who has not played for the Toffees since the start of the 2022/23 season, there is hope that he will one day grace the Premier League pitch again.

He was crowned the PFA Premier League Young Player of the Year across both of his opening terms, very much highlighting the reward that can be found in plucking one of the finest talents from below England's topmost division.

Hackney might not be the potent attacking superstar that Alli proved to be throughout several blistering years of success as a Lilywhite, but he could be a most impactful signing from a lower division to replicate Mauricio Pochettino's success in the past.

Slotting him into the base of the midfield, Tottenham could well and truly hit the jackpot, replicating their masterful signing from nine years ago.

Okay, okay, it wasn't the perfect start to the season, but Tottenham Hotspur also drew their curtain-raiser in the Premier League last year, away to Brentford, before charging toward a streak of nine victories and one draw (at the Emirates) across ten fixtures.

Then the setbacks came, stabbing down at the team like erratic lashes of lightning, and therein lies the problem that Ange Postecoglou is hoping to bed away, with some exciting signings brought in to go one step further this year.

Tottenham lost control against Leicester City after the break, wasting a catalogue of chances and paying the price upon the evergreen Jamie Vardy's strike, his ninth goal against Spurs, who failed to rally and had to make do with shared spoils.

Now, Everton await as Tottenham play host for the first time this term, and after being thrashed 3-0 against Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend, an air of expectation has hung in north London.

Spurs team news vs Everton

The major sticking point heading into this afternoon's affair is undoubtedly the ankle injury that Dominic Solanke sustained in training this week, ruling him out of contention.

Solanke completed a move from Bournemouth for about £65m earlier in August after a remarkable campaign on the South Coast, and despite featuring in every top-flight fixture for the Cherries last term, he has been ruled out one game into the 2024/25 campaign.

Yves Bissouma is in contention to feature after missing the trip to Leicester due to a club-imposed ban for disciplinary reasons, though Archie Gray could start in the sitting midfield position, with Rodrigo Bentancur ruled out due to the league's concussion protocols.

Wilson Odobert is in line for a debut, while Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison will be eyeing their first starting berths of the season. Ange has a lot on his plate, though his most pressing concern will surely be determining who to stick at the front of the ship.

Who Ange could replace Solanke with

Richarlison is one of the most obvious options to replace Solanke with, for the Brazilian is fully fit and featured prominently at centre-forward last season.

He rid himself of the woes of the previous year, scoring just once over 27 games in the Premier League after transferring from Everton for some £60m in 2022, but there's still much to be desired.

Indeed, Richarlison enjoyed a brilliant purple patch last year, scoring nine goals across eight wintry matches in the top flight, but then suffered an injury-hit end to the season.

The Athletic's Charlie Eccleshare commented on how much Tottenham had "missed his physical presence" toward the end of the campaign, and that quality could be an interesting thing to throw into the mix against his former outfit, having bagged twice against them in an emphatic display last year.

However, Richarlison's cameo last weekend proved that he has much to do before he is polished and effective to the degree that Postecoglou demands to provide him with regular appearances from the opening whistle, introduced before eight crucial minutes of injury time and missing a glorious chance to get his side off to a winning start.

Despite only being on the field for a few moments, he produced a wayward header, unmarked, after a wonderful free-kick from Lucas Bergvall.

Starting Richarlison simply might not be the answer this time, not when Heung-min Son is ready to continue his emphatic form as Tottenham's central striker.

Why Heung-min Son must return to no. 9

Skipper Son featured in his natural left-flanking role against Leicester, but he was outfoxed by a dogged defence, unleashing just the one blocked shot and creating one key pass for his teammates, fading after a delightful whipped delivery for the sidelined Solanke early on.

Look, Son's brilliant, and any notion that his ship has sailed must be laughed out of the room. Last term, he bagged 17 goals and ten assists in the Premier League, alternating between the left and a centre-forward deployment, and indeed his "world-class" quality, as praised by Postecoglou, and leadership presence emphasise the importance of playing him.

After all, he's hardly one dimensional, able to mix his goalscoring his elite-level creativity, and ranks among the top 7% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year and the top 10% for shot-creating actions per 90 anyway, as per FBref.

He also created 17 big chances in the division last year, with Dejan Kulusevski the next-most creative Lilywhite on that list with 14 big chances created.

He might not have clicked right into gear straight away but the South Korea international will be desperate to influence proceedings today and might find that he can make the best impact in front of a dynamic supporting cast.

James Maddison claimed an assist against Leicester and will hope to recapture that imperious pre-injury form from last year. The Englishman's vision and defence-splitting ballwork is something that no other player in the squad can replicate to the same degree.

Moreover, Kulusevski could make a difference if provided with a starting role, bringing the energy and intensity to effectively supplement Son, pushing forward and stretching the lines.

All told, there's nothing to worry about regarding Solanke's injury, with the 27-year-old expected back shortly and Postecoglou not exactly starved of alternative ways to piece his team together.

But starting Richarlison would be a mistake, for Son must return to the spearhead.

Sean Dyche’s Everton will be looking to make amends for last weekend’s 3-0 defeat against Brighton and Hove Albion as they travel to face Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon.

His side will be without numerous key first-team members for the trip to the capital, with Ashley Young suspended after his red card last time out, with regular centre-backs Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski both nursing injuries.

It will likely be a makeshift backline, a scary thought when coming up against the likes of Heung-min Son, Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski, as Ange Postecoglou's side look to claim all three points in their first league game of the season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Alongside the injuries, Dyche has numerous dilemmas across the pitch, as he tries to secure the Toffees’ first win of the new Premier League campaign.

He could look to drop one player who failed to impress during the season opener, despite producing some impressive numbers during the 2023/24 season.

Abdoulaye Doucoure’s stats against Brighton

Despite finishing the season prior as the club’s joint-top scorer, midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure produced a performance to forget on the opening day of the new season last weekend.

The 31-year-old started in a similar role to last season, in a more advanced berth just behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but he was unable to make a positive impact on the game or the result.

In his 63 minutes on the pitch, the Malian only managed 23 touches - just one touch nearly every three minutes - giving possession away eight times, as he failed to make the most of his time on the ball.

Doucoure was also caught offside four times, with all of his offences coming within the first 45 minutes, putting an end to any momentum the Toffees had within the final third.

As a result, he could be replaced by one Everton talent who is more than deserving of a start after his cameo off the bench during the defeat.

The man to replace Doucoure against Spurs

After joining the Toffees in a £15m deal from Marseille during the off-season, attacker Iliman Ndiaye was restricted to a place on the bench during last weekend’s loss to the Seagulls.

However, he was brought on for Doucoure with just 27 minutes remaining, making more of an impact on the encounter than the former Watford ace despite featuring for 36 minutes fewer.

The "outrageous" talent, as previously described by ex-teammate Chris Basham, only had 13 fewer touches, but managed to achieve a higher success rate of duels won - putting himself about in the hope of changing the game for Dyche’s side.

Despite being brought on for his attacking abilities, Ndiaye managed to win three tackles - an average of one every nine minutes - as he worked tirelessly to make an immediate impression on the fanbase.

In what was a disappointing day for the entire side, he was unable to provide that spark that could change the game for the Toffees, but did demonstrate moments of quality which could earn him a start in North London this afternoon.

Out of the new additions this summer, the 24-year-old was arguably the most exciting after his previous stint in England for Sheffield United, where registered 36 goals and assists in just 88 games in total.

However, he’s yet to be handed that opportunity from the start to showcase what he’s capable of, with Dyche needing to hand him a first start over Doucoure if his side are to have the best opportunity of claiming anything from the meeting.

Out of the traditional 'big six' Premier League sides, only Chelsea and perhaps Manchester United have been busier than Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

The North Londoners have signed several exciting young talents like Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert and Yang Min-Hyeok, extended Timor Werner's loan for another season, and, most importantly, spent £65m on bringing in Dominic Solanke.

However, the window is still open for another week, and based on recent reports, Daniel Levy and Co could bring in even more promising youngsters.

In fact, the latest star touted for a move to N17 enjoyed a brilliant season last year and has shades of former Spurs great Mousa Dembélé about him.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, Tottenham are one of several Premier League clubs interested in RC Lens prospect Andy Diouf.

Alongside the Lilywhites, the report has claimed that Manchester City, Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion all sent scouts to watch the 21-year-old in the club's 2-1 Conference League qualifier victory over Panathinaikos on Thursday night.

The story does not mention a potential price, but considering the £15k-per-week star only joined the Ligue 1 side last summer, he'd presumably cost a pretty penny.

However, given his potential and form last season, Diouf is a player Levy and Co should seriously consider signing, especially as there are shades of Dembélé to him.

How Diouf resembles Dembélé

Okay, so let's examine the ways in which the youngster has shades of former Spurs star Dembélé about him.

The first is that, like the Belgian during his pomp, the Neuilly-sur-Seine-born midfielder is already a great ball carrier, as evidenced by FBref placing him in the top 1% of all midfielders in Europe's top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League for progressive carries per 90.

A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent's goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.

He also sits in the top 2% for successful take-ons, 14% for total shots and shot-creating actions, and 20% for progressive passes received.

Not only is this an incredible statistic in its own right, but it's made all the more outrageous by the fact that the Frenchman is still just 21, suggesting that, in time, he could pull even further away from the pack and become a ball-carrying machine, much like the former Lilywhites star was.

The second similarity is two-fold and comes from the fact that the "progressive" youngster, as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, plays in the same areas of the pitch and shares the physical characteristics of the 82-capped Belgian, also coming in at over 6 foot - 6 foot 2 in his case.

This towering presence in the middle of the park, combined with his "great engine", per Mattinson, and incredible ball-carrying, could see him develop into an all-action midfielder able to take control and dictate games on his own.

Lastly, like the Antwerp-born icon, the Lens gem is left-footed, which, considering James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma are all right-footed, would give Postecoglou another option to choose from.

Ultimately, Diouf may not be a name familiar to many outside of France, and while he might not quite reach the level Dembélé did, there is undoubtedly a lot of talent there. Therefore, Spurs should do what they can to pick him up before someone like City does.

Having already shown the door to the likes of Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this summer, Tottenham Hotspur are set to get ruthless once more, showing the door to another player.

Tottenham transfer news

For a long time, it looked as though Spurs were prepared to enter the new season without a replacement for Harry Kane for the second campaign running, but the arrival of Dominic Solanke quickly eased those fears.

The former Liverpool forward arrived from Bournemouth in a deal worth a reported £65m earlier this month. The Lilywhites will have to wait slightly longer to see his first home appearance, however, after he picked up an injury in Spurs' 1-1 draw against Leicester to open their season.

They could at least watch new signing Wilson Odobert make his Premier League debut for the club, though, not long after arriving from Championship side Burnley.

The same can't be said for one particular defender whose time at the club appears to be coming to an end in the next week. According to Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke, Sergio Reguilon is "certain" to complete a move away from Spurs this month, as Daniel Levy looks to cash in amid interest from European giants Barcelona.

Into the final year of his contract, which sees the Spaniard earn a reported £120,000-a-week, Barcelona are reportedly eyeing a cut-price deal to sign the left-back.

It must be said that an exit would suit all parties, with Reguilon's loan moves to Manchester United and Brentford last season indicating that Ange Postecoglou does not see a place for the former Real Madrid man in his side.

After cashing in on Reguilon, the Lilywhites may even use the money generated courtesy of his departure to seal a deal for AS Monaco's Vanderson, who they've been linked with in recent weeks.

Reguilon needs Tottenham exit

Earning a reported £120k-a-week, Spurs are right to show Reguilon the door this summer if he's not in Postecoglou's plans. Skipp, Emerson Royal and Hojberg suffered that fate and now the left-back looks to join them out the door to continue the Lilywhites' summer clear-out.

Those earlier exits have paved the way for the likes of Solanke, Archie Gray and Odobert to all arrive, representing Spurs' current sustainable business model, and Reguilon's departure will likely make room for more fresh faces. Into the final week of the summer transfer window, those in north London could yet be in for a busy few days.

Before anything, of course, Postecoglou will want to ensure that his side secure their first win of the Premier League campaign when Everton travel to north London in search of ticking off the same goal.

Without Solanke this weekend and perhaps Reguilon on a permanent basis, the Lilywhites have an early chance to prove any doubters wrong about their squad depth. Suffer defeat, however, and any rust shown against Leicester City will look more and more like weakness at Spurs.

Tottenham are keeping a close eye on a former Premier League defender as they look to bolster their ranks ahead of the transfer window slamming shut.

Spurs stumble in season opener

Ange Postecoglou's side looked as though they were set to thrash Leicester City on Monday night as they rounded off the first weekend of Premier League action, but were wasteful and duly punished by evergreen striker Jamie Vardy, which forced them to settle for a draw at the King Power Stadium.

"It is a disappointing outcome. We were very dominant first half but really wasteful in front of goal. We started the second half similar", Postecoglou explained after the game.

"But you know at 1-0 there is always an opportunity for the opposition to come back into the game. That's what happened and we lost our way for 15 or 20 minutes. We lost our composure and the crowd got behind them, but again we finished strong.

"I am just really disappointed as we lacked a little cutting edge in the front third and made some poor decisions. We lacked some composure and didn't get the reward our football deserved."

So far, Spurs have added six new faces to their ranks this summer, breaking their transfer record to bring Dominic Solanke to the club and also shelling out on Championship talents Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert from Leeds United and Burnley respectively.

Now, they have been linked to add another in the final days of the transfer window in a surprise move.

Tottenham and Man Utd eyeing move for Barcelona defender

That comes courtesy of reports from Spanish outlet Sport, relayed by Sport Witness, who claim that Spurs are one of the sides keeping tabs on Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen in what they describe as a surprise target.

The ex-Chelsea man is on the market as Barcelona look to trim their squad, with the report revealing that both the Dane and Eric Garcia are candidates to depart before the end of the transfer window, depending on the offers received for the pair.

Though Barcelona want to make more signings, they must sell first and value Christensen at €25m (£21.2m), while some reports claim that they cannot even register new signing Dani Olmo until they have made further sales.

This mess has caught the eye of Manchester United and Tottenham, both of whom are said to be "on the lookout" for the Danish defender and could move before the end of the summer window.

As it stands, Tottenham have Cristian Romero, Micky Van de Ven and Radu Dragusin on their books, as well as out of favour defender Ben Davies and young talent Ashley Phillips, who is expected to leave on loan in the final days.

Though his Chelsea links may well count against him, should Spurs be able to land favourable terms for the Danish international, it could be a shrewd move with Postecoglou's side back in Europa League action this season and likely to need more cover at the back.

It's been a pretty good summer for Tottenham Hotspur so far this year, and while the draw away to Leicester City on Monday night was far from ideal, the club looks set for a big season.

Ange Postecoglou will be looking to go one better than last year by leading the team up the Premier League table and into the Champions League places, and after the team's summer of spending, that's starting to look like a far more realistic objective than it did in May.

Daniel Levy and Co have been busy in the last few months, bringing some exciting youngsters to beef up the squad, like Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert, while significantly improving the starting lineup with the £65m capture of Dominic Solanke.

However, with a week to go until the window slams shut, the Lilywhites look primed to do more business, and the latest player touted for a move to N17 would mirror their transfer of Gray and be the perfect long-term Bissouma replacement.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, Tottenham are interested in Middlesbrough star Hayden Hackney.

The report reveals that, alongside the Lilywhites, West Ham United, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers, all sent scouts to watch the young midfielder in his first two Championship games of the season.

That said, it's not just the competition that could make this a complicated deal to get over the line for the North Londoners, as the report claims Boro manager Michael Carrick is determined not to lose the young star this season, whom Transfermarkt values at just €7m - £6m.

However, if Spurs really pushed for this deal, it seems unlikely that the Championship side would be able to stop them, and while he's unproven at the top level, similar to Gray prior to Monday, he could be the ideal replacement for Bissouma.

How Hayden compares to Bissouma

So, before we look at the comparison between the Boro gem and Spurs' Malian midfielder, how does this move reflect the one for Gray earlier this summer?

Well, put simply, it would be the North Londoners once again dipping into the Championship to sign an exciting up-and-coming English youngster from a team who couldn't win promotion last season.

Moreover, while the former Leeds ace is more versatile than Hackney, he has also played a significant amount of minutes in central and defensive midfield in the past, which means that if this transfer happens, there's a chance that the pair could form an exciting double pivot at some point in the future.

However, with all that said, if the 22-year-old makes the move to Tottenham in the coming days, then one of his main obstacles to first-team football will be Bissouma, but how do the pair stack up?

Well, interestingly, when we take a look at their underlying numbers from last season, the "sensational" young talent, as dubbed by journalist Graeme Bailey, actually comes out ahead of the former Brighton & Hove Albion ace in the majority of metrics, and by quite some way at that.

For example, the Redcar-born gem comes out on top in statistics such as non-penalty expected goals plus assists, actual non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, passes into the penalty area, key passes, live passes, shot and goal-creating actions and successful take-ons, all per 90.

He even does better in some defensive metrics, such as blocks and ball recoveries per 90, showing that he can do a bit of everything.

A ball recovery is defined by the number of loose balls recovered by a player.

Now, you have to consider that the England U21 ace was playing in a weaker league, but the Championship has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, and the fact he's doing so well is undoubtedly encouraging.

Ultimately, Bissouma was underwhelming for much of last season, to put it diplomatically, and has already caused problems for Postecoglou this season, so it would make sense for the club to want to move him on, and in Hackney, they could have the perfect replacement and a player who could become something extraordinary in North London.

Therefore, Levy and Co should do what they can to secure the Boro ace's services before someone else does.