Tottenham Hotspur and Antonio Conte will be in next season’s Champions League competition, famously known as the most powerful bargaining chip of all in the transfer market.
The North London have wasted no time in getting started ahead of the Premier League’s opening day on August 6th, when Spurs will host Southampton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Who have Spurs signed
Yves Bissouma – Central Midfielder – £25m
Yves Bissouma joined Spurs two weeks ago on a four-year deal for a fee that could potentially rise as high as £35m, with £25m guaranteed to his former club Brighton and £10m in add-ons.
The 25-year-old had just one year remaining on his contract with the south coast club, and decided to make the switch to North London and team up with the likes of Harry Kane and Golden Boot winner Heung min Son.
Since the start of the 2020/21 Premier League season, no central midfielder has recorded more tackles than Bissouma (180), with his new teammate Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg shortly behind in second with 176.
With a passing accuracy of 89% in last season’s domestic campaign, alongside 3.2 tackles and 2.1 interceptions per 90 minutes, Tottenham might finally have found the midfield anchor they’ve been desperately craving for years.
Ivan Perisic – Winger – Free
33-year-old Ivan Perisic has also made the switch to North London, adding veteran experience alongside one Champions League title, two Bundesliga titles, one Serie A title, three German Cup titles and one Italian Cup title.
Perisic has signed a two-year deal until 2024, and has 113 caps for his country Croatia including a World Cup final appearance in which he scored the equaliser before France went on to win 4-2.
The winger is best known as a workhorse, and covered 72.5 kilometres during the 2018 World Cup which was more than any other player. Whilst a starting spot might not be guaranteed, Perisic will provide a worthy backup for Son, Dejan Kulusevski, Steven Bergwijn, and Lucas Moura.
Fraser Forster – Goalkeeper – Free
Former Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster is Spurs’ most recent addition, signing a two-year contract with the club following his contract expiration with the Saints.
The 34-year-old has made 134 Premier League appearances across his career, including 42 clean sheets. Forster also has six caps for his country England, playing a role in Roy Hodgson’s side earning qualification to Euro 2016.
Forster stands at 6ft 7ins and will act as a direct backup to 35-year-old Frenchman Hugo Lloris, after Pierluigi Gollini’s loan spell from Atalanta came to an end on June 30th with Tottenham opting not to pursue the 27-year-old Italian on a permanent transfer.
Tottenham are expected to continue their busy activity in the transfer market as they explore deals for Everton duo Richarlison and Anthony Gordon, as well as Middlesbrough’s Djed Spence.