Tottenham Hotspur head into the international break on the best possible note, as they are currently leading the Premier League table and have had an excellent summer transfer window. Fabio Paratici and Nuno Espirito Santo have done a fantastic job of restructuring the team that finished seventh last season and are now appearing to be an early-season title pretender.
However, despite their excellent job in the summer, Spurs have missed a beat or two. And here, at The 4th Official, we will take a look at three key players Tottenham have missed out on this summer.
Three Players Tottenham Hotspur Have Missed Out
Ilaix Moriba
The midfield department remains the most glaring weakness for Tottenham Hotspur at the moment. With Moussa Sissoko leaving the club, and Tanguy Ndombele and Harry Winks having no future under Nuno, the team is running out in terms of depth.
One of their leading options to fix this problem was Ilaix Moriba from FC Barcelona. The Lilywhites, in fact, were one of the two frontrunners in the race to sign the wantaway midfielder on deadline day, but the youngster opted to join RB Leipzig.
It could be a huge blow for Spurs, who have already had to send new signing Pape Sarr back to Metz. It leaves them with Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as the only two viable options in the middle of the park. Moriba, to that end, could have brought the much-needed depth and creative essence in midfield, giving Nuno an additional option that could be vital in such a long season.
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Tottenham Hotspur have been better than Arsenal at everything over the past four weeks. But one department where they have lost out to their arch-rivals is the pursuit of Takehiro Tomiyasu.
The Bologna centre-back was Spurs’ early-season target, but they were not able to reach any deal for the Japanese international. Eventually, the defender joined Arsenal on deadline day and it might not bode well for Nuno, who has had to deal with the departure of Toby Alderweireld and Serge Aurier.
The fact that Tomiyasu is capable of playing as a right-back and a centre-back could have been an ideal asset for the club, even though they managed to secure the services of Emerson. And given the inconsistencies of the current defensive duo of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez, missing out on the Japanese international was certainly a mistake.
Adama Traore
Another top target for Tottenham this summer was Adama Traore. But the Lilywhites missed out on him as well, perhaps due to Wolves holding out for their desired price tag for the Spaniard, who has started the season in a promising fashion.
Indeed, Adama is showing signs that he can recover from a poor season and fulfil his potential under Bruno Lage. His sheer pace and power would have been an ideal asset for Tottenham in the final third, especially alongside the crafty duo of Son Heung-Min and Harry Kane.
One could seriously wonder whether Tottenham could have opted for Traore instead of going after Emerson Royal from Barcelona. And given the attacker’s experience of working under Nuno, he could have been an ideal acquisition for the Lilywhites.
