Here are the Tottenham Hotspur morning headlines for Friday, September 4.
Spurs turn down chance to sign Ivan Perisic
Italian outlet Calciomercato report that Tottenham have turned down the chance to sign Ivan Perisic in a move that would have seen record signing Tanguy Ndombele move in the opposite direction.
Jose Mourinho is on the record as an admirer of the Croatia international, who has returned to parent club Inter Milan after playing a key part in the treble won by Bayern Munich last season.
The Spurs boss reportedly tried to sign Perisic on multiple occasions during his tenure as Manchester United manager.
Bundesliga champions Bayern are said to be pursuing a move to take Perisic back to Bavaria on a permanent deal.
Major problem identified ahead of new campaign
football.london has taken a look at one of the major areas that the club need to improve in on the eve of the new season.
Mourinho is undoubtedly aware of the issue, having spoken about his team’s tendency to dither on the ball and lose possession cheaply.
The stats back him up - Spurs ranked second in the league for being caught in possession in 2019/20. They got caught in ball possession on 437 separate occasions last term, averaging once every seven minutes and 49 seconds.
The biggest culprit in this regard was Lucas Moura.
Here’s that piece in full.
Former player urges club to make move for Jack Grealish
Jamie O’Hara believes Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish would offer a creative spark that Tottenham currently lack.
The Billericay Town player-manager, who spent eight years on Tottenham’s books between 2003 and 2011 and made 56 appearances for the club, was speaking to talkSPORT.
“Tottenham have to strengthen in midfield, they need central midfield players," he said.
"They need a creative spark. They need a number ten who is going to make the difference.
“(Grealish and Maddison) are the type of players Spurs need to try to sign. Absolutely, they should be going for him (Grealish).
“If they raise £60million for Tanguy Ndombele, they have to get a number ten who is going to make a real difference. Look at Fernandes when he came in at Man United.”
