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Football

02nd Aug 2018

Spurs preparing to lose three quality players before the transfer deadline

Reuben Pinder

They have signed a grand total of zero players so far

Tottenham are still expecting to sell all of Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose and Mousa Dembélé this summer, despite having not signed anyone thus far.

That could soon change, as deals for Jack Grealish and Lewis Cook look likely, but losing three first-teamers in quick succession with no replacements for Alderweireld and Rose lined up will be a tough blow to take for Mauricio Pochettino.

The Evening Standard‘s Dan Kilpatrick reports that the trio will most likely move abroad, and that Fernando Llorente and Vincent Janssen are both up for sale too.

It looks like Spurs are set for a manic end to the transfer window and a tough start to the season, as they are still awaiting the return of several players who reached the latter stages of the World Cup, including Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Eric Dier and Dele Alli.

Should Dembélé leave in the coming days, Spurs should cope with his absence if they get the signings of Lewis Cook and Jack Grealish over the line. But it is Toby Alderweireld whom they will miss the most. Davinson Sánchez slotted in well to replace the Belgian last season, but Spurs will seriously lack strength in depth in defence if Alderweireld leaves.

Danny Rose had his best streak of form for Spurs between 2015 and 2017, and has not been able to hit that sort of form since, for a variety of reasons including a knee injury and mental health problems. Having lost his place in the starting XI to Ben Davies, Spurs could live without him, but finding a suitor for the left-back may prove more difficult than it would’ve been a year ago.

Money is tight for Tottenham at the moment, as they move into their newly named Tottenham Hotspur stadium, but if they want to keep up the momentum they have built over the past three seasons, Daniel Levy will have to spend some money.