With the January transfer window set to open in a couple of days, Tottenham may reinforce their squad to tighten their grip on a top-four spot.
Spurs headed into the World Cup break fourth in the Premier League, but recent performances have been a cause for concern for Spurs fans. Antonio Conte's side have lost three of their last five Premier League games, with the two wins requiring comebacks against Bournemouth and Leeds United.
The underwhelming performances of late may have been picked up on by the Spurs hierarchy, meaning the Lilywhites may be given a decent size budget to add to their squad in January. Spurs spent around £172m in the summer transfer window if you include the £42.5m fee to make Cristian Romero's loan permanent, the fourth-highest amount in the Premier League.
READ MORE: Tottenham news: Antonio Conte reveals best back three as Bentancur and Romero updates given
So, if Spurs were to have around £100m to use in the January transfer window, how could Conte and Spurs spend their money? We used Football Manager 2023 to simulate the January transfer window and find out.
Spurs' 2023 January transfer window simulated
To complete this simulation, we updated the Spurs squad with the latest injuries and suspensions, allowing Football Manager 2023 to then decide who the Lilywhites could sign in the 2023 January transfer window. We assigned a £100m budget to Spurs, and this is what happened.
Incomings: £79.5m spent
Marius Wolf (Borussia Dortmund) - £6.75m
Donyell Malen (Borussia Dortmund) - £14.75m
Gleison Bremer (Juventus) - £58m
Spurs spent almost £80m in the January transfer window on three players, with two hailing from German side Borussia Dortmund. The most expensive signing of the three was Gleison Bremer from Juventus, with Spurs prying the Brazilian away from the Italian giants just six months after he joined them.
Forward Donyell Malen arrived for £14.75m from Dortmund, with the lightning-quick striker signed to add depth and a new dynamic off the bench. Lastly, Marius Wolf signed for just £6.75m, with the German able to play anywhere down the right side of the pitch, a trait suited to Conte's playstyle.
Outgoings: £0m
- Djed Spence (Leicester City) - Six-month loan
Only one player departed the club in January, with Djed Spence heading to Leicester City on a short-term loan in a bid to earn some more game time. So, how did Spurs perform with their new additions?
Spurs' 2022/23 season results after January transfer window
Unfortunately for Spurs, none of the three players signed made big impacts in their first six months at the club, and the decline in performances continued as Conte was sacked by Spurs in March, with the club sitting seventh in the table. Luis Enrique was appointed as the manager on a short-term contract, and the Spaniard managed to push Spurs up to fifth as they missed out on a spot in the Champions League.
A 3-1 defeat to Wolves in the FA Cup fourth round and a 1-0 aggregate defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals saw the Lilywhites win no silverware in the 2022/23 season, with Europa League confirmed for the following campaign. Malen scored just once and Wolf was dropped under the guidance of Enrique, with Bremer the only signing to improve the squad.
Overall, FM23 predicts that Conte may target a new defender, wing-back and forward in the January transfer window, but a poor choice of players in the simulation eventually saw the Italian sacked. Reinforcements could help Spurs in January, but the Lilywhites must make sure they are strong signings in the long run to help push for success.
Who do you think Spurs should sign in the January transfer window? Let us know in the comments below!
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