Tottenham Hotspur have been unusual in their raids on Premier League rivals West Ham United in recent times, with the likes of Michael Carrick and Mohammed Kudus plying their trade from east London to north London.
Is there a country where they could get former Hammers hero and Arsenal talisman Declan Rice, too?
However, a move from the London Stadium to the N17 never seemed a possibility, even with Teddy Sheringham suggesting that in 2022 Rice was the type of signing needed to keep the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son at bay.
“West Ham fans won’t like it but Declan Rice will be good for Tottenham.
“Tottenham must go to the next level to keep players like Son and Kane happy.
That said, The Athletic previously reported that following the England international’s release from Chelsea at the age of 14, Tottenham – and Fulham – had registered an interest in poaching the youngster.
Alas, Rice found solace in the Irons and the rest is history, and the Spurs’ midfield unit, on the other hand, remains an old story.
Why the defender has been Pochettino’s biggest problem for Spurs
In their Mauricio Pochettino glory, the Lilywhites were blessed with a powerhouse, if not the, midfield pairing between Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama, the two men showing a strong foundation to allow Spurs’ quartet to shine.
With Dembele, the man often regarded by teammates as the club’s real MVP at the time, gone in January 2019, it’s fair to say that the north London side never filled that void.
It is not something to want to try, of course, with the Premier League team going down in every available way, especially insisting on the graduates of the academy such as Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp, the latter forming an unpopular and strong relationship with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
That’s compared to marquee signings like Tanguy Ndombele or Rodrigo Bentancur, while they’ve gone down and gone with proven Premier League options, be it Hojbjerg or Yves Bissouma.
In recent times the north Londoners have also looked for young up-and-comers such as Pape Matar Sarr and Lucas Bergvall, although neither will play a consistent role, the Swedes have been plagued by injuries.
|
Spurs midfielders – 25/26 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
The player |
Games |
Terms (Help) |
|
Palhinha |
38 |
5 (3) |
|
Sarr |
32 |
2 (3) |
|
Gray |
31 |
2 (3) |
|
Bentancur |
28 |
1 (1) |
|
Bergvall |
27 |
1 (4) |
|
Gallagher |
10 |
0 (1) |
|
Bissouma |
8 |
0 (0) |
|
Sister |
2 |
0 (0) |
There have been signs of health from experienced midfielder Joao Palhinha, although the Portuguese titan’s stay over his loan spell is controversial.
With questions already being asked about the £34m January arrival, Conor Gallagher too, this post-Pochettino curse seems to be here to stay. Or is it?
Spurs sensation looks like “a little Declan Rice”
If you look at Tottenham’s dire situation under Igor Tudor, few will be taken by the club’s two impressive results last week, with the side still in serious danger of relegation.
The £25m flop must not start another game for Spurs behind Atletico Madrid
Spurs now need to look to the future after a promising Champions League game on Wednesday.
That said, it was hard not to be satisfied with the midweek display against Atletico Madrid, with everything seeming to come together for the first time under the Tudor regime.
With Xavi Simons and Mathys Tel leading the way with their brilliance, there was real momentum in attack, while in defence, the deployment of a fluid back three or five went a long way in containing Atleti’s prolific forward line.
The star attraction, however, arguably came in midfield, with Archie Gray putting in the kind of performance that would have forced anyone to sit up and take notice.
Now, this wasn’t much of a surprise considering the 20-year-old’s impact over the past weeks and months, although considering the level of opposition, it felt like a significant, breakthrough moment. Even Atleti’s Marcos Llorente was impressed.
The former Leeds United star challenged Simons for the first time of the night, finding the net eight times in total, while registering two vital assists in that 3-2 victory.
In the opinion of Duncan Alexander of The Athletic, speaking on the Totally Football Show podcast, it was like watching “a little Declan Rice”, Gray appeared all over the park, putting out fires while boasting the ability to transform defenses into attacks with great strides forward.
That help from Simons sounded like the kind of vision Arsenal fans at the Emirates have become accustomed to, in relation to Rice, the 27-year-old driving the Gunners’ attack.
Even at £105m, Rice has proved something of a bargain, and with Gray himself now looking like a “future £100m” midfielder, in the opinion of analyst Ben Mattinson, Spurs’ £30m investment looks like a coup.
The development of the pair has already been a real match, as Rice honed his craft with the Hammers, first bursting onto the scene as a full-back, before transitioning into the midfield monster that is now the center of club and country.
In Gray’s case, it was at right-back that his opportunity came during the 2023/24 campaign under Daniel Farke at Leeds, with most of his work in a Spurs shirt coming as a full-back, or central defender.
As with Rice’s rise, however, it is in midfield where the youngster really thrives, and Spurs can boast of their £100m and the talent they will build on over the next decade or so.
Tudor must bench Spurs’ disgraced 68-touch star Archie Gray
Archie Gray was top class as Spurs earned a deserved 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid.
