Tottenham have hardly been in contact over a move for one of their summer targets in recent weeks, despite reports of a deal being broadly agreed.
Spurs aiming for late top-four push
Ange Postecoglou’s first season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is looking likely to result in a return to Champions League football, with Spurs currently nine points clear of Manchester United and occupying what is likely to be a fifth Champions League spot for English teams come the end of the campaign.
A 1-1 draw with West Ham dented their hopes of leapfrogging Aston Villa into fourth, and despite knowing that they face the top three sides between now and the end of the season, Ange will be hoping a strong end to the Premier League campaign will see them take fourth spot.
The Run in for Tottenham |
|
Matchday |
Opponent (Home/Away) |
31 |
Nottingham Forest (H) |
32 |
Newcastle United (A) |
33 – TBD |
Man City (H) |
34 |
Arsenal (H) |
35 |
Liverpool (A) |
36 |
Burnley (H) |
37 |
Sheffield United (A) |
38 |
Newcastle United (A) |
One man currently left in the dark over his future is loanee Timo Werner. The former Chelsea striker was signed on loan in January, in a deal that contains an option to sign the 28-year-old on a permanent deal for around 17m euros this summer.
However, that option has to be exercised before the beginning of EURO 2024 (June 14th), giving Tottenham a hard deadline before which to make a decision on the German.
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Werner has impressed since his arrival, and grabbed an assist against the Hammers, teeing up Brennan Johnson for the opening goal. Speaking on potentially signing the German permanently, Postecoglou was in no rush but sounded positive about the prospect.
“In terms of his future, like most players, the decisions will be made at the appropriate time,” said the Tottenham boss. “I think he’s been a great signing. He’s been a really important part of our structure and I think he can also improve.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the divide, Marco Rose has also spoken on the prospect of the deal being done: “We are not in contact, but of course I am following his development. He starts scoring again, this is a result of being comfortable and feeling good. He should keep riding the wave. Basically, he is one of our players, but Tottenham obviously have the opportunity to sign him completely.”
Despite this, Sport Witness claim that though the player ‘definitely wants’ the move to north London, there has been ‘no contact’ between Spurs and Leipzig in recent weeks to communicate longer-term plans.
One theory that they put forward is that Spurs may be wanting a discount on the deal, something which seems unlikely given his renaissance in north London. Of course, it needs little more than a single call to activate the pre-agreed deal, so a lack of contact isn’t something to be massively concerned about.
But with reports that Tottenham want to sign another striker and a winger this summer, could they be having second thoughts about making Werner’s deal permanent?