Tottenham have become a legitimate Champions League contender in the Premier League again, one season after finishing eighth and failing to qualify for any sort of European football.
Spurs missed out on European football despite Harry Kane scoring 30 goals for them and creating a substantial number of chances (1.5 key passes per game).
Now that Kane is gone and already breaking records in the Bundesliga, though, Spurs are actually better off, and that’s thanks to the improvements they have made tactically and with their personnel under new manager Ange Postecoglou.
In order to push for more and even content for the Premier League title under Postecoglou’s leadership, Tottenham will need to make more smart signings on the transfer market.
Here are five players Tottenham could sign in the summer 2024 transfer window to get closer to competing with Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool for the Premier League crown.
RB Leipzig CM Xavi Simons
Xavi Simons’ biggest strengths
Xavi Simons was one of the standouts in European competition last season for PSV, earning a bigger loan move from PSG to RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, where he has been just behind Harry Kane as a Bundesliga Player of the Season candidate.
The 20-year-old is playing the football of his life with seven goals and nine assists for the Red Bull-owned side, starting in virtually every position in the midfield and even on the wing.
A do-everything midfielder, Simons is averaging 2.4 key passes and a combined 5 fouls drawn and dribbles completed per match in the German top flight. There’s a case to be made that after Jude Bellingham, he’s been the best attacking midfielder of the 2023/24 season.
How Xavi Simons fits with Tottenham
Tottenham have an elite playmaker in James Maddison, who began the season as a Premier League Player of the Season contender and is currently sitting on 11 goal contributions himself.
Xavi Simons might actually be a better playmaker because of his energy, goal-scoring touch, and skill on the ball. But Maddison has the technique and the eye for the killer pass that Simons is still developing.
Tottenham can use Simons as a 10 whenever Maddison is unavailable, or they can play him as an 8, where he can use his energy and progression to offer a more attacking option to the likes of Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr.
Feasibility of a Xavi Simons transfer for Tottenham
PSG own the rights to Xavi Simons and should do everything they can to keep him, having already watched Christopher Nkunku and Moussa Diaby become big Bundesliga stars and then major Premier League transfers.
However, Simons may not want to stay with a club that is about to lose Kylian Mbappé and hasn’t had a real plan of success. Tottenham have the luster of the Premier League and a more vibrant fanbase. Simons could be itching for that sort of move, and he may be a good value on the market if he pushes himself out.
Frosinone RW Matías Soulé
Matías Soulé’s biggest strengths
Matías Soulé made his come-up as a Juventus prospect but could not break into the first team as a regular, even though he did get opportunities here and there.
Now on loan at Frosinone, Soulé has blossomed into one of the best players in Serie A and started the season on a ridiculous goal-scoring rate.
As it stands, Soulé has found the back of the net 10 times and is putting up even more impressive playmaking statistics with 2.2 key passes and 3.3 dribbles completed per game. His assist numbers would be even higher on a better team.
Matías Soulé’s fit with Tottenham
Tottenham could utilize Soulé as a left-footed playmaker next to Maddison or simply play him instead of Maddison whenever the former Leicester City man is unavailable.
But mostly, Soulé has been playing as an inverted playmaker from the right-hand side for Frosinone, allowing him to cut inside and take shots on.
He is making great use of that, scoring plenty of goals for the Serie A side. He can be a more incisive, playmaking alternative to Dejan Kulusevski on that side of the formation, starting depending on the opponent.
Feasibility of a Matías Soulé’s transfer for Tottenham
Juventus own the rights to Soulé but seem to be more open to selling him than keeping him. The Bianconeri could benefit from Soulé’s talent, but it seems like they do not value him or do not see him as a fit for their current system.
Perhaps that could change if Juve make the expected move and replace Max Allegri with the more exciting Thiago Motta, but, for now, Soulé appears to be available and headed to the Premier League. Tottenham should be able to get him for 40-50 million euros, depending on how many other clubs are interested.
Torino CB Alessandro Buongiorno
Alessandro Buongiorno’s biggest strengths
Alessandro Buongiorno has been one of the big breakout stars in Serie A this season, just like Matías Soulé has been in the attacking third.
Torino have a penchant for finding great central defenders, as Gleison Bremer was the Serie A Defender of the Year before moving to Juventus a season later and becoming an even bigger star.
Buongiorno could join Juve or a big Premier League side. He has been a shutdown central defender in 2023/24 and is one of the most active ballwinners in Europe, averaging 2.4 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per game.
Alessandro Buongiorno’s fit with Tottenham
Again, Tottenham love their Serie A standouts, as it is a great league to find affordable, young talent. Spurs just added a third talented young center back to the mix in the winter, bringing in the much-needed Radu Dragusin from Genoa.
Dragusin is more of a man-marking defender, while Buongiorno is a ballwinner. That could be a good match with Cristian Romero being the aggressive, ex-Serie A star and Micky van de Ven the more silky, covering defender from Wolfsburg.
Tottenham could use four great center backs and really solidify that position as done and settled for the next five years by adding Buongiorno from Torino.
Feasibility of an Alessandro Buongiorno transfer for Tottenham
Buongiorno is right in Tottenham’s price range as a likely 30-40 million euro transfer. Though he has been linked to Chelsea, the Blues are probably more serious about Jules Koundé than the Torino man. Juve also appear to be headed in other directions, so Buongiorno could be a relatively easy signing for Tottenham in 2024.
Lille ST Jonathan David
Jonathan David’s biggest strengths
Jonathan David was one of the most prolific goal-scorers in Ligue 1 in the first half of the 2021/22 season before cooling off, showing some consistency problems despite the hype.
Then, in 2022/23, David blew up as one of the best all-around strikers in Europe, taking his game to new heights and finishing the campaign with a whopping 24 goals and a health 1.4 key passes per game with 1.6 fouls drawn per contest.
David has become better at using his body to shield defenders and make plays for his teammates, taking a page from Erling Haaland by playmaking in subtle ways.
This season, he started in opposite manner, going slow at the beginning and taking criticism before finding his footing again. David has 15 goals in league play and remains one of the standout players in Ligue 1. He is ready for a big move.
Jonathan David’s fit with Tottenham
Tottenham have been using Son Heung-min in the middle after Harry Kane’s departure, and the South Korean has rebounded under Ange Postecoglou to return to his status as one of the elite players in the Premier League.
Son is scoring 14 goals with 8 assists as one of the best all-around players in Europe, but Tottenham could afford to have another striker option, especially a bigger player with more of a box presence.
David can be that true anchoring 9 and still help wingers like Kulusevski get into scoring positions. Son could shift to the left and work in tandem with David, who can draw in defenders to offer Son more space to operate.
Feasibility of a Jonathan David transfer for Tottenham
Jonathan David could cost around 50 million euros, and his transfer status has cooled with less media attention. That could play into Tottenham’s favor and give them a 24-year-old star striker entering his peak years at a price they can actually afford. The Canadian may be their best market opportunity at the position this year.
Atalanta CM Ederson
Ederson’s biggest strengths
Ederson is a little bit in the shadow of Teun Koopmeiners in Bergamo, but the Brazilian has also been one of the best midfielders in Serie A this season. Like Koopmeiners, he is directly on the radar of Juventus for the summer 2024 transfer window.
The 24-year-old box-to-box midfielder has been one of the most active players in the Italian top flight with 3.8 combined tackles and interceptions per game.
An elite defensive presence due to his aggressive ball-winning, Ederson can even help his team win games directly, as he has scored five goals for Atalanta in the 2023/24 season.
Ederson’s fit with Tottenham
Ederson can be another talented, active, defensive presence in midfield to quickly win possession for Spurs and make life easier for a multi-faceted, deep attacking group under Postecoglou. He would be an easy starter as one of the deep midfielders in the two-man pivot behind James Maddison in the 10 role.
Feasibility of an Ederson transfer for Tottenham
Another potential 40 million euro transfer from Serie A, Ederson is a player who fits into Tottenham’s midfield transfer budget. He is a quality starter at a reasonable price.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.