Antonio Conte has so often spoken about Tottenham’s “level” that it was clear the January window was never going to be a quick fix. Nor was it intended to be a sticking plaster over the very real and long-standing issues surrounding recruitment, highlighted by the late-night scramble to ensure there was more than one senior right-back on the books.
The Pedro Porro deal went into the final hours after talks with Sporting Lisbon had collapsed on the penultimate day due to a butting of heads over fees. Spurs finally convinced the Primeira Liga outfit to agree to a £5m loan with a £39m obligation to buy this summer, effectively matching the release clause that had expired in his contract.
More bewildering was the 11th-hour confirmation that Matt Doherty’s contract had been terminated by mutual consent. The Republic of Ireland international had originally been set to join Atletico Madrid on a temporary basis – except Fifa do not allow clubs to loan out more than eight players overseas. Spurs already have three players loaned to Italian clubs (Tanguy Ndombele, Destiny Udogie and Harry Winks), three to Spanish clubs (Sergio Reguilon, Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil) and two to French side Rennes (Djed Spence and Joe Rodon).
With Spence and Gil both completing their moves on deadline day, it appeared to be an oversight that the Doherty deal would not be allowed, but it proved an expensive one. The club was forced to tear up the contract of a player worth an estimated £10m, not receiving a penny. Atletico have signed him on a short-term deal until the end of the season, so they have not been burdened with any extra commitment from their end.
Nevertheless, the two priorities Spurs set out at the start of the window have been achieved – a new right wing-back, with Conte never having been convinced by Emerson Royal, and one who with more than twice the Brazilian’s attacking output is an obvious upgrade.
Conte was also keen to sign another forward and secured Arnaut Danjuma on loan. The success of the Danjuma deal has flown under the radar a little, but there were promising signs even aside from his goal on debut against Preston North End in the FA Cup.
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There are still holes in the squad, but the reality is that not all of them were likely to be filled in one month, especially in what is typically the quieter of the two windows. The summer will bring greater breathing space to hunt a long-term successor to Hugo Lloris, another left-back and another centre-back, but a total overhaul – perhaps of the sort Conte has alluded to in the past – was never expected in January.
Injuries have been unkind too, with recent issues for Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski making the attack look more threadbare than it is. The situation should be improved by the arrival of Danjuma, though Gil has returned to La Liga, understood to be disappointed that his improved performances since the World Cup have not been enough to earn him more regular playing time.
Tottenham’s overseas loanees
- Tanguy Ndombele (Napoli)
- Sergio Reguilon (Atletico Madrid)
- Giovani Lo Celso (Villarreal)
- Destiny Udogie (Udinese)
- Harry Winks (Sampdoria)
- Djed Spence (Rennes)
- Joe Rodon (Rennes)
- Bryan Gil (Sevilla)
Going forward, carving out a long-term strategy will not be easy amid considerable uncertainty over Conte’s future. The Italian’s contract expires at the end of the season, and before that he will be absent from the touchline for an unspecified period after surgery to remove his gallbladder.
Fabio Paratici’s position is unclear too, the director of football having been banned from Italian football – but as it stands, allowed to work in England, for 30 months as part of a punishment handed down to Juventus for alleged false accounting.
In those circumstances, January was never going to be a revolutionary window – but Spurs have improved in their problem position, albeit only after a late panic, and strengthened their attack. That has to be considered a success – even if it won’t please everyone.
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