Danny Murphy has admitted that he has been a little shocked by one decision Tottenham Hotspur have made ahead of the summer transfer window.
The second-half of this past season showed how far Ange Postecoglou’s men remain from challenging for the Premier League title; and thus, fans will be hoping for a productive few months in the transfer market.
Tottenham put many of their rivals to shame in January by making two first-team signings, with Timo Werner and Radu Dragusin arriving.
Werner signed on loan with an option to make the move permanent for £15 million. It was hard to have many complaints with the deal despite the German’s previous struggles in the Premier League.
Danny Murphy shocked by what Tottenham have now done
The one concern would have been that Werner would contribute a couple of goals and a few assists to leave Tottenham with a decision to make over a permanent move. Ultimately, that is exactly what Werner did, with two goals and three assists in 13 Premier League games.
Spurs have responded by confirming that Werner will spend next season on loan, with the club still having an option to make the move permanent.
Once again, it appears to be sensible. But speaking on talkSPORT alongside Simon Jordan, Danny Murphy suggested that he is scratching his head a little over this particular deal.
“Well, Simon and I actually were both a little bit perplexed and shocked by this one. He hasn’t set the world alight; far from it,” he said.
“My only thinking is that they must be thinking of bringing a big one in up top, and having him as more of a backup, because they’ve got Brennan Johnson on the right who’s got to develop, he’s got to produce a bit more. He’s got potential, he’s got talent, but they’ve been mixing him up on the right with Kulusevski. I think Son’s best on the left personally, and that would mean Werner on the bench.
“But if he’s thinking of keeping the same frontline and having Son and Richarlison as your strikers and Werner on the left, I don’t think Tottenham fans are going to be too excited by that.”
Timo Werner received scathing criticism during initial loan spell
The move only becomes a problem if it restricts what Tottenham can do over the rest of the summer. And as it is a loan, the impact may be minimal.
However, Werner definitely has a point to prove, particularly with RB Leipzig clearly content to go, at least, 18 months without receiving a transfer fee for the forward.
Jay Bothroyd claimed that Werner is technically one of the worst players in the Premier League.
Clearly, that is an incredibly strong statement, and not many will agree, but it does highlight how he has not been able to use some of the skills he has been blessed with and turn himself into one of the most dangerous players in the league.