Another January transfer window has come and gone, and with it we look at some of the more notable deals of the day. Tottenham Hotspur have signed both Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski from Juventus FC while sending Dele Alli out on loan.
Alli, once considered one of the biggest up-and-coming bright stars in all of football, and a major cornerstone of the club’s rebuild, fell way out of favor in north London, and now begins life anew as the first permanent signing of the Frank Lampard era at Everton.
?? | We have completed the signing of midfielder Dele Alli from Tottenham Hotspur on a two-and-a-half-year contract until the end of June 2024.
Welcome to #EFC, Dele! ?
— Everton (@Everton) February 1, 2022
He had been strongly linked to Newcastle.
On joining Everton, Dele said: โIโm delighted to have signed for Everton, a huge club with a great fanbase and history.
โI’m eager to get started and can’t wait for my first game in an Everton shirt.
โIโm looking forward to helping the team and the opportunity to work with the new manager Frank Lampard.”
Donny van de Beek joins Alli in the Everton midfield, on loan from Manchester United.
??? Tottenham sign Juventus duo Rodrigo Betancur and Dejan Kulusevski. Full details ?? #THFC #Juve https://t.co/Uny5bbZrmU
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) January 31, 2022
Elsewhere Tottenham director of football Fabio Paratici went back to his former club to pick up a pair of players from the Serie A giants.
Bentancur, 24, arrives on a permanent deal which will keep him at the club until 2026.
According to NBC Sports, “Juventus confirmed the transfer fee to be $21 million over three years, plus there are add-ons which could see the deal increase by $6.7 million.” In their scouting report, they describe the player as “a smooth operator in central midfield and is definitely an upgrade on Conteโs current options in the engine room.”
Regarding Kulusevski, 21, NBC Sports points out that the Serie A best young player award winner in 2019-20 (Alli won the Premier League’s corresponding award a few years ago) “has scored just once in 20 Serie A appearances this season.”
“However, 15 of those appearances have been off the bench as heโs been out of Allegriโs plans.”
For a fee of $11.2 million, Kulusevski will be out on loan until the summer of 2023, with the option converting that move into a permanent one for $39.2 million.
We’ll see what happens as Tottenham make a push for the top four. Watch this space. Spurs return to action against Brighton on Saturday, in the FA Cup.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager ofย The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net)ย andย author of โTransatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,โ as well asย โNo, I Canโt Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.โ
He has regularly appeared inย WGN,ย Sports Illustratedย and theย Chicago Tribune,ย andย co-hosts theย After Extra Time podcast.ย Follow himย onย Twitterย andย Instagram.ย
