England’s Premier League transfer deadline is on Thursday and The Spurs are yet to make a single transfer manoeuvre. The Jack Grealish talks with Aston Villa are going nowhere, so Tottenham Hotspur has turned their attention to Celta Vigo midfielder Stanislav Lobotka.
Stanislav Lobotka to Tottenham Hotspur
Lobotka is seen as a potential replacement for Moussa Dembele, who has held talks with several teams over the past month and is expected to leave before the Premier League transfer window closes. Tottenham currently have the maximum amount of foreign players rostered, thus Dembele would have to leave before Slovakian international Stanislav Lobotka could arrive.
The 23-year-old signed a new contract with Celta Vigo last season which included a €35 million release clause. He has been in negotiations with Napoli for a while now, but they haven’t progressed as anticipated, allowing The Spurs to inquire about his availability. The Slovakian scored his first international goal against England at Wembley during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, causing Arsenal to show interest. Later, The Gunners turned their attention to Lucas Torreira instead.
Who is Stanislav Lobotka?
Stanislav Lobotka started his career in hometown Trencin. He spent a year on loan at Ajax, where he played with the club’s youngsters, before moving to Denmark’s Nordsjaeland. The defensive midfielder signed with Celta Vigo last summer, making a total of 38 appearances for the Spanish club.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer market inactivity
Lobotka would be a good addition to Mauricio Pochettino’s roster, although he might be reluctant to move due to uncertainty over playing time. He’s firmly entrenched in Celta’s starting lineup at the moment, whereas he would likely be relegated to backup duties if he were to sign with Tottenham. At this point, Pochettino would be happy with any signing, as his team is the only one in the Premier League without a single acquisition this summer.
Toby Alderweireld’s potential move to Manchester United could provide the funds needed to acquire someone, for example, Jack Grealish, but for that to happen, Tottenham would have to lower the asking price on the Belgian defender.
Even if Tottenham Hotspur don’t make a move by Thursday, they still remain one of the few teams capable of challenging Manchester City for the PL crown. The Spurs kick off the new campaign on the road against Newcastle United on Saturday at 13:30.
