Tottenham must regret signing on £150,000-a-week deal

Many years later, English football will look back fondly Angie Postoglou. The Australian tactic is over Tottenham HotspurA painful search for silverware, after all.

But Postecoglou’s tenure was anything but smooth Thomas FrankTheir style of play has drawn back some of the electric attacking play introduced by ‘Ange-ball’ in North London, with their 7.4xG (expected goals) total so far showing a lot to be desired on that front.

However, it is difficult to say that the moves made in the transfer market were not positive. Muhammad Quddus From West Ham United for £55m is a fantastic piece of work, and he is proving his worth on the pitch.

Xavi Simmons It has the potential to be the masterpiece of the summer, even if it hasn’t hit the ground running yet. The Dutch playmaker has both central and external skills, with his preference being right-footed, making room on the left flank when needed.

This left side is the area Frank hopes to work on, having sold his legendary captain Hyung-my son To LAFC for £20m in August.

Despite this, Tottenham did not see fit to buy Timo Werner On a permanent basis, with the German’s two-year loan at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ending rather modestly.

Timo Werner’s time at Tottenham

Tottenham signed former Chelsea striker Werner on loan from Leipzig in January 2024, with Postecoglou needing an additional dimension in attack. It was a contentious move, but one that proved smart enough, with Werner scoring twice and providing four assists in ten Premier League appearances in the 2023/24 season.

Werner did his job, quick and sliding down the left channel, creating 1.2 chances per game and earning praise from Sky Sports analyst Paul Merson for his “Lightning fast“Step.

The first phase of Tottenham’s double was a decent enough effort, but as with many unnecessary sequels, Werner’s second season as No.17 saw the temptation to feint even greater, and he was anonymous throughout the second phase of the season after offering very little initially.

Tottenham initially had the option to buy Werner for £15m at the end of the 2023/24 season, but instead designed a loan extension. Under the new agreement, an £8.5 million purchase option has been included.

Was this a good move? In hindsight, Spurs fans might say that wasn’t the case. Last December, the 29-year-old was taken off at half-time against Rangers in the Europa League, and Ange said after the match that the striker’s performance “It was not acceptable“, as his body language and application left a lot to be desired.

Ending his time in north London with three goals and seven assists in 41 appearances in all competitions, it is difficult to describe Werner as anything other than a failure, as he did not contribute much during the first phase of the European season, when he did get some minutes.

Even with three assists from just four Premier League appearances in 2024/25 (a total of 18 league appearances), Werner’s starting form did little to suggest he was up to scratch, with Sovascor recording that he only won 1.2 ground duels per game, missed two big chances and took few shots.

There are fears, even with all the good being done under Frank this season, that Spurs have repeated an unwanted trick and signed the next version of German failure.

Tottenham’s new version of Werner

On transfer deadline day, when Spurs beat out competition across the continent for his signature Red Creation From Paris Saint-Germain, he was seen as a coup for a dynamic and dangerous striker.

The 26-year-old has been signed to the English side on a season-long loan with no option or obligation to buy.

He has been hailed as a ‘star’ before German legend Lothar Matthäusthe £150,000 per week forward He has had highs and lows in recent years, but he shined with Juventus last season and was only the subject of interest from Tottenham in January. Holding talks to sign it But ultimately missing.

However, injuries have not been kind to the France star during the opening months of the season, with the Champions League win over Villarreal marking the extent of his time on the pitch so far. Only 13 minutes of play he played.

His career has been somewhat up and down, but Kolo Mwani undoubtedly has the talent and potential to succeed in the Premier League and, despite being 26 years old, it is important that he makes a convincing start to his life at Tottenham when he returns from his current setback.

If not, the high-paid, injury-prone player could find himself drawn into some conversations that liken him to Werner, whose Champions League wins with Chelsea and prolific returns during his first spell with Leipzig led to him being viewed as an elite talent.

Kolo Mwani has also enjoyed a fruitful comeback in Germany, scoring 23 goals and making 17 assists during the 2022/23 season for Eintracht Frankfurt before securing a £73m move to the French capital as the wheels stopped turning.

Looking at the past 12 months, there is no doubt that Kolo Mwani has the talent to bring it all together. However, more is needed. Spurs’ need to do so has become paramount, with Richarlison and Dominic Solanke toiling.

Final judgment will, of course, be reserved for the Frenchman to have extensive Premier League experience, but there is no doubt he has started on the wrong foot.

His only saving grace is that Frank’s forward line has struggled for quality so far this season, and if he can rekindle the fitness and form that saw him reach such heights on loan with Juventus last season, Kolo Mwani may be able to avoid falling into the reputation of the next version of Werner at Tottenham.