Tottenham Hotspur finished their most consequential summer transfer window in history not with a flourish, but a whimper. According to Football.London, they did 51 transactions, spending £394 million and taking in £264 million. It was the busiest and most expensive summer window in club history, but deadline day itself was unexciting, as it saw the arrival of Mykhailo Mudryk on loan and the signing of Tosin Adarabioyo.
Those are two Chelsea cast-offs that nobody else wanted, but both could be in line to make their debut in a Spurs shirt on Saturday against Nottingham Forest.
Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Sept. 5, 3pm, City Ground
Tottenham Preview Material: Team News Transfer Updates
Premier League Form, Standing: Tottenham Hotspur 19th, 0 pts, LL Nottingham Forest 14th, 1pt WWLD
Google Result Probability: Tottenham Hotspur wins 34% Draw 27% Nottingham Forest to win 39%
Tottenham Team News
The Mudryk deal brings with it a substantial amount of unintentional comedy, as the option-to-buy price is set at an astronomical £75m. Good luck with that! But at least it’s not an obligation-to-buy, because if it were, well then we would be entering potential “worst deals of all-time” territory.
Bridging the transfer and injury news, as he’s got one foot in both categories, is the artist formerly known as Savinho. Now Savio, the former Manchester City winger/forward did not make his debut last weekend, in the 2-0 to Newcastle United.
He’s a 50-50 proposition for Saturday, due to an unspecified muscular injury.
“Savio was another tough player who didn’t play,” manager Roberto de Zerbi said on Sunday.
“After the press conference [on Friday], the medical staff came to me to inform [me that] Savio didn’t feel good, a small muscular problem… Maybe Mon or Tues he can start with us, but the medical staff didn’t want to take any risk with him, especially because he didn’t work or do training in the last 15 days with Man City.”
So it’s really just more a matter of building up match fitness at this point. Elsewhere James Maddison is touch-and-go with a shoulder problem.
“James has not a big problem, but pain in the left shoulder,” said De Zerbi ahead of last weekend. “I think with James, we have to find the right plan. We have to work consistently for three, four weeks, and then he’s a different player.”
Otherwise the Spurs injury/fitness/availability situation remains the same at this time.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.