Another playmaker is off the table for Tottenham this summer after Deal confirmed
Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of a new creative midfielder has been one of the more frustrating sagas of this summer transfer window. The club, desperate to find a marquee addition in the attacking third, has seen a series of potential deals collapse, leaving fans increasingly disillusioned as the days tick down.
The most high-profile setback, of course, was Eberechi Eze’s shock move to Arsenal. The Crystal Palace playmaker had been heavily linked with Spurs for weeks, and there was even optimism that he might be unveiled in North London – but on the red side rather than the white. That move not only strengthened Tottenham’s fiercest rivals but also delivered a psychological blow, highlighting once again Spurs’ inability to get major deals over the line.
But Eze was not the only one that slipped away. Earlier in the window, Tottenham had appeared to make progress with Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White. Reports suggested personal terms were within reach, and there was genuine belief that a deal was edging closer. Instead, Gibbs-White used Spurs’ interest as leverage and signed a fresh long-term contract with Forest, leaving Ange Postecoglou and his recruitment team back at square one.
Elsewhere, Manchester City prospect James McAtee also slipped from their grasp, opting instead to follow Gibbs-White’s path to Forest, where he has the promise of more consistent minutes. And then there was Rayan Cherki, long touted as one of Europe’s brightest young playmakers. Spurs made an approach early in the summer, but the Frenchman moved out of reach as other suitors gained ground.
The most painful of the “dream signings” remains RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons. The Dutch international would have been a transformative addition, giving Postecoglou the kind of dynamic creative force he has lacked since Christian Eriksen’s departure years ago. But Simons has made his intentions clear through multiple reports from top insiders – if he returns to the Premier League, it will be with Chelsea, not Tottenham.
All of this has left Spurs scrambling for alternatives, with the quality of their targets dropping alarmingly. One of the more surprising names linked in recent days was Southampton teenager Tyler Dibling. The 19-year-old, who only broke into the Saints’ starting XI last season, scored a couple of Premier League goals and showed glimpses of promise. But he is still raw, inconsistent, and far from the finished article. He might have been seen as one for the future rather than someone to slot straight into Postecoglou’s XI.
Now, even Dibling is no longer on Tottenham’s radar. Fabrizio Romano confirmed Everton’s capture of the youngster with his trademark “here we go,” announcing that the Toffees had swooped in to secure the deal. The numbers involved raised plenty of eyebrows: a £42 million fee agreed with Southampton, along with a sell-on clause that could see the Saints benefit if Dibling’s career takes off and he eventually earns a move to a bigger club.
For Tottenham, the deal is both a relief and a reminder of their current predicament. On one hand, splashing £42m on a teenager who would not have come close to starting in Postecoglou’s team would have been widely criticized as reckless. On the other, it underlines just how far down the list Spurs have fallen in terms of available attacking midfielders. When even the “bottom-of-the-barrel” targets like Dibling are being snapped up, the market begins to look very bleak indeed.
Spurs fans can at least take comfort in the fact that Everton, a club battling to re-establish itself in the Premier League, were the ones to gamble on such a hefty outlay. But the frustration remains. With the 2025/26 Premier League season already underway, Tottenham find themselves without the creative spark they were so clearly seeking.
The question now is whether the club will pivot once more toward a bigger name – however unlikely – or resign themselves to making do with what they have until January. Supporters are urging Daniel Levy and the recruitment team to push for a genuine world-class signing, but those opportunities are dwindling fast. If Spurs fail again in these final weeks, they risk entering the season without the attacking reinforcements needed to match their Champions League ambitions.
At this stage, it is no longer about the Diblings of the world – even they are finding homes elsewhere. For Tottenham, it is about salvaging what remains of the window and preventing what has already been a frustrating summer from turning into a damaging one.