Over the course of the January transfer window, we will take a closer look at the best of the week’s business with our ‘Transfer of the Week’ columns. This time, we will turn our attention to Tottenham Hotspur’s swift business.
By Neel Shelat
Ange Postecogu’s instant impact at Tottenham Hotspur has been quite extraordinary. In just half a season, he has taken a team that failed to qualify for European football of any sort last season and placed them in firm contention for a Champions League place.
Moreover, he has done so using an incredibly attractive and eye-catching brand of football with a squad in which he seems to have fostered a very healthy team spirit. The mood around the club has turned around tremendously, making Postecoglu a fan favourite already.
The Australian coach is just getting started, though, as the players he has at his disposal at the moment are not all suited to his style of play. Even before he arrived, it was clear that Spurs would need a few windows’ worth of business to give Postecoglu his ideal squad, so there is a lot of potential for them to get even better yet.
Their business in the summer has proven to be pretty good so far, but they knew they could not afford to rest. Within just 10 days of the January window, Spurs sealed two important transfers. The first was a six-month loan for RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner, but probably the more important move was the permanent signing of Radu Drăgușin from Genoa.
Radu Drăgușin (Genoa to Tottenham Hotspur for €30 million)
This deal involved a bit of a transfer saga as the Romanian international intially looked set to be joining until Bayern Munich attempted to hijack the deal with a much more lucrative offer. He certainly was quite tempted by it, but ultimately decided to move to North London in favour of more regular game time under Postecoglu plus the added Premier League exposure.
A very important part of Postecoglu’s attacking playing style is to ensure that the two centre-backs are very strong defenders who can hold the fort on their own as the full-backs push forward freely. Drăgușin absolutely fits the bill in this respect. Standing at 6’3″ with a strong build, the Juventus academy graduate can be an imposing presence at the back.
Naturally, then, he is an excellent defender. He is a player who is very cautious when it comes to committing to challenges or duels, but when he does so he goes in with the conviction that he will emerge with the ball.
Postecoglu’s playing style demands precisely this type of centre-back, so the transfer makes a lot of sense in this respect.
Looking at some of his other stats, one might grow a little concerned about his very low passing numbers, but it is worth remembering that those have been registered playing for a newly-promoted Serie A side who adopt a very direct brand of football.
Upon watching him in action it becomes quite clear that he has many of the technical qualities of a good ball-playing centre-back, so he should be able to slot into Spurs’ system without too many problems.
As a bonus, his tall stature also makes him a serious threat from set-pieces, so he can add a dimension to Tottenham’s attacking play this way. Although right-footed, he has played on the left of defence for Genoa more often than not, so he will also be able to offer some versatility in this respect.
With both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven recovering from hamstring injuries, Drăgușin will undoubtedly come in and become an instant starter. At just 21 years old, he certainly has the potential to displace either of them in the long run too.
Timo Werner (RB Leipzig to Tottenham Hotspur on loan)
Tottenham’s need for an out-and-out number nine to suit Postecoglu’s system has been quite clear as well, so the signing of Timo Werner is quite an interesting deal.
Coming in on a six-month loan, the German striker clearly is a stopgap signing rather than a long-term solution. His immediate job will be to replace the Asian Cup-bound Heung-min Son, so it is worth comparing the two players.
Although a winger by trade, Son has spent most of this season playing centrally to better suit Postecoglu’s system. The South Korean international has done a great job as his clinical finishing has already taken him well into double digits in terms of league goals.
In addition to that, his ability to get into dangerous goal-scoring positions is also an important factor in his success. Werner can do a decent job of that, but it is his finishing that will raise a lot of question marks.
In seven full league seasons since joining RB Leipzig, Werner has underperformed his xG on five occasions. The other two times, though, he returned with 21 and 28 league goals respectively. It appears the ex-Chelsea forward can be a serious goal threat when he is on song, so Postecoglu, and Tottenham will aim to boost his confidence in order to get him going.
With that being said, it is worth noting that Werner is much better off with a free role in a front-two than as a sole line-leading forward, so a temporary loan deal makes sense. Spurs will hope he can pitch in with a few goals in the first half of 2024, but they will most likely re-enter the market for a long-term striker option in the summer.
(Images from IMAGO)
To keep up to date with all the latest Transfers, check out the FotMob Transfer Centre. Download the free app here.