Tottenham sign £86m striker and Crystal Palace gem in blockbuster summer transfer window prediction
Spurs face a mammoth rebuild this summer regardless of whether they are relegated
Tottenham have just six games left to preserve their Premier League status, after last weekend’s 1-0 defeat away to Sunderland saw Roberto De Zerbi’s newly inherited side drift perilously into the relegation zone, a whole two points away from an invigorated West Ham up in 17th.
It would be churlish to suggest that Spurs winning the first iteration of the Europa League with no teams dropping down from the Champions League wasn’t a sizeable achievement - but did the relatively simple nature of their run to European glory last season paper over the cracks of something fundamentally broken at the club?
Opinions are split on the job Ange Postecoglu did last season, with the aforementioned trophy win coming in stark contrast to the often humiliating performances churned out in the Premier League. The club have spent big money on a host of flop signings, and questions remain over why a number of their star players appear to have hamstrings made entirely of Ryvita.
As Spurs fans continue to sweat over whether they’ll be visiting Old Trafford or Lincoln City’s LNER Stadium next season, there’s also the upcoming transfer window to consider, with Tottenham likely to do plenty of business regardless of whether they can cling on to their Premier League status.
We fired up the latest version of Football Manager and had the simulation predict exactly who the club will sign in the summer transfer window - if they manage to avoid relegation, of course.
Tottenham summer transfer window predicted - new players signed
Marlon Gomes - £11m from Shakhtar Donetsk: Another day, another defensive midfielder arriving at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. That said, Yves Bissouma will be off this summer and it’s far from certain whether Joao Palhinha’s loan will become a permanent deal, so the purchase of 22-year-old Gomes’ does make some sense.
Randal Kolo Muani - £50m from PSG: Like most of the Spurs squad, it’s not exactly been a vintage season for the 2022 World Cup winner. Still, Tottenham decided he was worth keeping around the place and opted to convert his loan spell into a permanent deal, handing over a hefty £50m to do so.
Samu Aghehowa - £86m from FC Porto: He nearly joined Chelsea a couple of seasons ago, only for the Blues to sign Nicolas Jackson instead. Tottenham, in dire need of options up top, dropped mega money on the Porto striker. An absolute gamble, but his 47 goals in 77 appearances for his current club suggest the Spain international is an acquisition well worth making.
Dean Henderson - £48m from Crystal Palace: Spurs’ spending continued at pace, with another massive move going through before deadline. Given their struggles for a reliable goalkeeper this season, a move for a player who could potentially be England’s next number one makes total sense. Still, at £48m, it’s a sizeable chunk of cash to part with.
Tom Bischof - £29m from Bayern Munich: Tottenham’s spree wasn’t over just yet, as a late window swoop for the Germany international was confirmed. Versatility is Bischof’s real asset - he can play either in the centre of midfield or at left-back, which would give Spurs some welcome cover for Destiny Udogie and January signing Souza.
Liel Abada - £5.5m from Charlotte FC: De Zerbi addressed his need for a new winger on Deadline Day, as the club made a last ditch raid on MLS side Charlotte FC to snap up the ex-Celtic star. He predominantly plays on the right, so would be able to serve as a deputy to main man Mohamed Kudus on that flank.
Tottenham summer transfer window predicted - players sold
Dejan Kulusevski - £99m to Paris Saint-Germain: What on earth? He must have had a seriously good World Cup with Sweden. Despite not kicking a ball for Spurs since last May, PSG decided it would be a fine idea to hand over close to £100m to bring him to Ligue 1. Well, that explains all the outrageous spending from Tottenham, at least. Quite bizarre.
Wilson Odobert - £12m to Mallorca: Another player out with a long-term injury, Spurs also managed to bring in some cash for Odobert, albeit not quite a nine-figure sum. They made a loss on the £25m they spent to sign him from Burnley back in 2024, in a move that never really worked out for either the player or the club.
Dominic Solanke - £40m to Manchester United: The summer overhaul continued at pace, with Solanke opting to leave Tottenham just two years into his stint at the club. It’s probably reasonable to say he’s not quite lived up to expectations in terms of his goal-scoring output, but flogging him to United does seem like a rather odd decision given the lack of alternatives up top.
Micky van de Ven - £86m to Liverpool: The sale of the Dutch defender saw Spurs slip into the green on the balance books, but we’re rather concerned over the lack of a replacement. Liverpool - who are set to have a rebuild of their own this summer - were unable to hang on to Ibrahima Konate, and made a decisive move to capture the rapid centre-back from Tottenham.