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Five players that need to be replaced in the summer

Photo of Daniel Huggins Daniel Huggins | 13:52 30/03/21

Next season could be make or break for Spurs if we want to keep Harry Kane at the club for the foreseeable future, and new additions will be required to make a title challenge or trophy-winning campaign possible.

However, to raise funds to make those transfers, the selling of a few back-up players or just players who have been disappointing this season or over the last few seasons may be required.

Here is our list for the five players we think Spurs should sell, and who they should be replaced with:

SELL – Davinson Sanchez

This one was a toss up between Sanchez, Toby Alderweireld and Eric Dier. We have went for Sanchez because he takes up a foreign player spot and his consistency has been less than convincing. Eric Dier is more versatile, we haven’t seen him out of defence much this season, but if required he can do a job in midfield, while Alderweireld has shown his class a lot more than either of the two. Plus, now Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga are getting more game time, it surely is time for one of the previous three to go.

We think a fee of around £20 million would be possible to obtain for Sanchez’ services.

REPLACE WITH – Tosin Adarabioyo (Fulham)

Former Manchester City defender Adarabioyo has been very impressive at Scott Parker’s Fulham since joining them permanently last summer. Despite how well the Cottagers have played this season, it’s unlikely that they will convincingly stay up unless they hit a solid bit of form and Newcastle slip-up further.

The defender is a Premier-League level player and will be an England international soon without a doubt, and standing at 6ft5, you’d be shocked at how quick the big man is as well. Solid in the air, incredible physically and plenty of potential, this signing is a no-brainer for us.

We haven’t yet seen a price tag for Adarabioyo, but we believe he won’t be too much more expensive than £25-30 million.

SELL – Serge Aurier

The most inconsistent right-back this club has seen in recent years, some games Aurier will put in a 9/10 performance and the next will typically be a mistake-filled, sluggish and lazy performance. At 28-years-old, Aurier has definitely improved as he has got older and he is trusted as the Ivory Coast captain where he has excelled, but back at Spurs, the story has been different.

Ultimately, it could be time to go for the right-back and time to be replaced by a better, more promising player. We believe a £12 million fee will be the price tag for the Ivorian – but without a doubt Daniel Levy will want to get that higher.

REPLACE WITH – Emerson (Real Betis/Barcelona)

The situation with Barcelona’s Emerson is a weird one, as both Real Betis and Barcelona shared the cost of his move to the Catalan giants, but Emerson will join after his loan-spell at Betis where he has scored one goal and set-up four more so far this season. His contract release clause at Barca is huge, but they already have Sergi Roberto, Sergino Dest and Moussa Wague too all on their books right now, as well as hot prospects Alvaro Sanz and Sergi Rosanas – so it would make sense for them to cash in on a player who won’t be guaranteed regular game time.

Emerson is a very attacking right-back, but makes noticeably less mistakes than both Matt Doherty and Aurier, and at just 22, has plenty of potential as well.

We think a loan-to-buy deal could be negotiated with the club, but Barca will want a high fee at the end of the deal – which Daniel Levy again would relish the opportunity of negotiating that down.

SELL – Harry Winks

It’s been a very difficult season for academy graduate Winks, who despite receiving plenty of praise from Jose Mourinho and scoring a couple important goals this season, has been lacklustre in the heart of midfield. He has played in just 10 Premier League games this season and has already been linked with a move away in January, so it would make sense if Winks was sold this summer, especially with Oliver Skipp returning from his loan-spell at Norwich.

We think a £20-25 million fee will be enough for a team to secure the England international who has proven himself in the Champions League too.

REPLACE WITH – Marcel Sabitzer (RB Leipzig)

What a player and what an upgrade Sabitzer would be on Winks if all the speculation becomes real life, because Sabitzer wouldn’t just add that creative spark we’ve been missing since Christian Eriksen left, but he will make Spurs fans remember what it was like to be confident going into every game. A versatile forward or midfielder who has scored 38 Bundesliga goals for RB Leipzig, he can not just replace Winks in the starting lineup, but if Skipp goes straight into the team, then he can be deployed out wide too and will create plenty of chances too.

With just over one-year left on his contract right now, the fee being spoken about is £35 million, but we believe Daniel Levy will be able to haggle this down to less.

SELL – Moussa Sissoko

It will be sad to see Sissoko go, but it seems like an inevitability at this point with all the midfielders being linked or returning from loan. At the moment, the French international isn’t playing regularly and is just taking up a space in the squad that Harvey White could have had, but instead the youngster was sent on-loan to Portsmouth. He still has plenty of power and pace in him, but his technique just isn’t good enough for a team who has ambitions to challenge for titles.

We think £10-12 million would be an acceptable offer for the 31-year-old right now.

REPLACE WITH – Michael Olise (Reading)

Olise is an absolutely exceptional talent who is still just 19 and won’t turn 20 until December. He is a very similar player to Tanguy Ndombele but also has the same kind of skills in his locker that Adel Taarabt became infamous for. Despite playing in the Championship where he has managed five goals in 36 appearances this season, it is clear that the teenager has an unbelievable skillset and extremely high potential – and Spurs should be replacing Sissoko with someone just like him.

The midfielder’s contract expires in just over a year, and a fee of around £15 million could be enough to bring him to North London – but with Bayern Munich now reportedly interested along with a whole host of clubs, it will be more difficult to sign him especially as his teammate Omar Richards is due to join the Bavarians in the summer.

SELL – Erik Lamela

Unfortunately for Lamela, it’s unlikely the North London Derby ‘Rabona’ goal has saved his Spurs career, and with teams like Bologna interested, it seems as if time is up for the Argentine. What we will miss though is his passion and dedication to the club, he always steps on the field looking like he will push himself to his very limit for the badge and every Spurs youngster should look up to him for how much love and respect he has for the club. It will be sad to see him leave, but ultimately we have just not got what we paid for back in 2013.

We think £15-18 million will be what Daniel Levy is aiming to recuperate for Lamela.

REPLACE WITH – Jonathan Ikone (Lille)

Ikone has been a solid player for Lille since signing from Paris Saint-Germain back in 2018, and while he has only scored 10 Ligue 1 goals for them so far, having made just 29 starts in all competitions this season, Ikone has seven goals and six assists to his name – a tally he can certainly improve on at Spurs. Many teams have been interested before including Chelsea and Leicester, but with everyone currently circling round his teammate Jonathan Bamba right now, Spurs should bring Ikone in instead because like Lamela, he is an inside forward who cuts in from the right wing onto his left foot, and at 22-years-old, he has enormous potential.

Ikone could be available for around €25-30 million, but with AC Milan also interested, Spurs will need to move quick if they become interested.

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Daniel Huggins
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