Live Reports: Tottenham go for the one No. 10 fans don’t want

Tottenham Hotspur have been left stunned and frustrated after watching bitter North London rivals Arsenal swoop in and seal a dramatic deal for Crystal Palace’s star attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze. The 27-year-old had been widely tipped to become Spurs’ marquee signing of the summer transfer window, with negotiations between Tottenham and Palace at an advanced stage before Arsenal hijacked the move at the eleventh hour. For Ange Postecoglou and his recruitment team, the development is nothing short of a crushing blow, particularly as Eze was seen as the perfect answer to Spurs’ lack of creativity in the final third.

 

Now, as August draws to a tense close, Tottenham run the risk of heading into the new season with their most glaring squad weakness unaddressed. Their only significant attacking reinforcement so far has been Mohammed Kudus, who arrived from West Ham United earlier in the summer. To his credit, Kudus has already shown flashes of brilliance in a Spurs shirt—most notably in his lively performance against Paris Saint-Germain—but his quality alone cannot mask the side’s wider problems in central playmaking. With both James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski sidelined indefinitely due to serious knee injuries, Tottenham’s midfield creativity has been stripped bare.

 

It is no longer a matter of preference but of urgency: Spurs need at least one new No. 10 before the transfer window shuts—and ideally two—if they are to maintain their aspirations of competing for a Champions League spot. Yet instead of moving decisively for another established Premier League playmaker, Tottenham appear to be pivoting toward a target that has left many supporters bewildered.

 

According to a report from The Independent’s Miguel Delaney, Spurs have made an inquiry to Southampton about the availability of 19-year-old prospect Tyler Dibling. The teenager had briefly been linked with a move to North London earlier in the summer, but the story seemed to fade until resurfacing now, after the collapse of the Eze pursuit. For many fans, the timing and choice of target only adds to the perception that Tottenham are scrambling without a coherent Plan B.

 

The reaction from the fanbase has been swift and largely negative. A quick glance at responses to Spurs-focused news accounts tells the story: Dibling is being dismissed by many as a “bottom of the barrel” option compared to more proven or high-upside alternatives such as Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White or even Rayan Cherki, who has gone on to shine at Manchester City. Supporters who had been dreaming of Eze pulling the strings in their midfield now face the prospect of a raw teenager who, while talented, is nowhere near ready to start in the Premier League for a club with Tottenham’s ambitions.

 

Indeed, Dibling’s numbers tell a sobering tale. Last season, during Southampton’s ill-fated Premier League campaign that ended in relegation, the youngster scored just two goals across 33 appearances. More tellingly, he failed to hold down a consistent starting role, and when the Saints kicked off their Championship campaign this term, he was left out of the starting XI entirely. That hardly inspires confidence that he is capable of stepping into the demanding role of Tottenham’s primary playmaker, especially when the club is competing not only in the Premier League but also aiming to establish itself as a Champions League regular under Postecoglou.

 

The criticism of Spurs’ recruitment strategy this summer is therefore mounting. Many observers argue that the club’s inability to plan effectively and negotiate firmly has left them in this vulnerable position. At a time when rivals have aggressively strengthened their squads, Tottenham seem to have been caught flat-footed. Names like Savinho, Nico Paz, or Morgan Rogers—players who combine pedigree with potential—are still on the market, yet Spurs are instead entertaining the idea of gambling on a youngster who has yet to prove himself at the top level.

 

Dibling may one day develop into a fine player, but at present, he is not the calibre of signing Tottenham need to fill the void left by Maddison and Kulusevski. For a club that insists it has ambitions of competing at the very top, pursuing such a player in the final days of the window risks looking less like shrewd forward planning and more like desperation.

 

Unless Spurs act quickly and decisively to secure a proven attacking midfielder, they face the real possibility of starting the season fatally short in creativity—something that could derail Postecoglou’s project before it has a chance to flourish.