Tottenham have already been busy in the transfer window, welcoming seven new arrivals and seeing eight players leave. This is exactly what Antonio Conte needed in his first summer window.
Since the Italian's arrival, Spurs have seen improvements to individual players and the overall team, highlighting Conte's impact. The 53-year-old needed some added quality in the depth of the squad, ensuring he had enough options to cope with the busy fixture schedule this season.
One player who has been linked with a move to N17 is Man United's James Garner, who spent the last campaign on loan at Nottingham Forest. The 21-year-old become a regular for Steve Cooper's side, making 41 Championship appearances and 12 goal contributions.
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football.london understands that Fabio Paratici was impressed by the youngster every time he went to watch Forest teammate Djed Spence. Garner has reportedly been made available for transfer, upon his return to United, for £15million.
The Englishman's versatility means he can feature as a defensive, central or attacking midfielder. The ability to play in the various midfield roles would be a boost to Conte.
Tottenham currently have Oliver Skipp, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as options for the two midfield positions - assuming Harry Winks does secure an exit before the transfer deadline. Therefore when Skipp is back from injury, the Italian will have plenty of choice.
This would make it hard for Garner to get regular game time. However, the youngster's ability could be exactly what Spurs need in a midfielder, having someone who can do some defensive duties but have the attacking flare to be creative and be a link from defence to attack.
The midfielder's quality has already been outlined through his impact last season. In January, Garner was given a nine out of 10 in the player ratings given by Sarah Clapson from the Nottingham Post.
"A midfield masterclass from the Manchester United loanee. He was everywhere, tracking back when required and showing his full passing range. Absolutely superb," she explained.
A few months later and Roy Keane assessed Garner's performance after he played his part in Forest's FA Cup quarter final fixture against Liverpool, which they lost 1-0. "He's very good technically and he likes to dictate the play... Tough game for him today, but this game is good for those young players to experience playing top teams like Liverpool. It’s a great way to learn," he explained.
A couple of rounds before that, Cooper's side faced Leicester, another game the 21-year-old featured in. This time it was Martin Keown who was full of praise for Garner and he sent Man United a clear message.
"Again, set-piece, the ball in from Garner is an absolute beauty, look at the whip on that," he said. "You can’t underestimate the quality that Garner is putting into this box. He’s on loan from Manchester United – they need to be thinking about getting him back there quickly!
"I like the way he’s developing, growing as a player. Second year here on loan, you can see the development. He’s certainly playing with a lot more confidence right now."
Keown's admission highlights the midfielder's development whilst being on loan and the fact he can perform well against Premier League sides shows he has great potential. However, these comments also send a potential warning to Conte and Tottenham.
If Garner was already impressing last season and is showing signs of promising development, this could continue this season too. This would likely see his market value increase and more clubs becoming interested in signing him, making it potentially more difficult for the Lilywhites to secure a deal.
Therefore Spurs now have a decision to make: do they spend more money on a player who potentially won't get much game time this season, but could be another star for the future? Or do they opt against a move for the 21-year-old and hope he is available in the future?
Only time will tell and it could be an interesting couple of weeks.
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