Things could have been very different for Tottenham Hotspur right now, had they failed to beat Manchester United in last season’s Europa League final.
But they did, and now, new manager Thomas Frank is piecing together a new Spurs side capable of challenging at the top end of the Premier League and hunting down more silverware.
Frank has already been handed a wily new forward in Mohammed Kudus, with the fleet-footed winger signing from West Ham United for £55m.
The ambition hasn’t stopped there. Tottenham offered a release clause-triggering £60m for Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White but have been accused by the Tricky Trees as having made an illegal approach.
Hope remains that a deal will cross the line in the coming weeks, but Frank and Daniel Levy are hoping to complete a few more transfers before the end of summer.
Why Spurs want Morgan Gibbs-White
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest enjoyed a standout season in 2024/25, qualifying for Europe after spending the previous years battling against the relegation zone.
Across 34 top-flight matches, the 25-year-old scored seven goals and supplied ten assists, but it’s his tenacity and influence, on the ball and without it, that have made him such a coveted name.
Hailed as a “leader” who is “always looking to progress the team” by pundit Glenn Murray, Gibbs-White has what it takes to add a layer to Tottenham’s team that was lacking for large patches last year.
It’s not as if he’s just a pass-focused player, either. The England international averaged 1.3 tackles and 4.5 successful duels per league game, as per Sofascore.
With Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur both potentially leaving this summer, as The Athletic have suggested, Frank may well be searching for yet another centre-midfielder to partner Gibbs-White.
Spurs line up new midfielder
According to transfer insider Graeme Bailey, Tottenham are interested in signing Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz this summer, with the Brazilian having informed the Old Lady he wishes to return to the Premier League and is keen on a move to Spurs.
West Ham are the side pushing to complete a deal, however, while Forest and Fulham have both been credited with recent enquiries of their own. The competition is fierce.
Luiz, 27, joined Juventus from Aston Villa in a £42m deal one year ago, but he is available for a smaller £34m fee.
What Douglas Luiz would bring to Spurs
It’s been a year to forget for Luiz, who only started three Serie A matches across the entire 2024/25 campaign. However, given that he was previously described as “one of the Premier League’s standout midfielders” by The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell, Spurs could do a lot worse.
Looking at Luiz’s struggles on the Italian scene, it’s clear that he has flattered to deceive. But context is important: Luiz failed to settle in Turin, and his campaign was further impeded by injuries.
Looking at the level he was performing at the year before, with Aston Villa in the Premier League, you can see why Tottenham are interested in completing a deal.
Matches (starts)
35 (35)
19 (3)
Goals
9
0
Assists
5
0
Touches*
70.1
27.3
Pass completion
89%
90%
Big chances created
10
3
Key passes*
1.5
0.8
Dribbles*
0.7
0.6
Ball recoveries*
5.5
1.6
Tackles*
1.7
0.9
Duels (won)*
4.2 (51%)
1.9 (55%)
One thing that’s interesting across both of Luiz’s recent campaigns is that he maintains an impressive crispness on the ball, not dribbling forward unceasingly but picking his moments. This bespeaks his tactical intelligence. Former teammate John McGinn even claimed once that he is a “world-class” player.
A dynamic and well-rounded midfielder, Luiz could be the perfect partner for Gibbs-White in the middle of the park, with the Forest man operating further ahead, maximising his creative qualities while the Brazilian dictates from deep.
Gibbs-White ranked last season in the Premier League among the top 12% of positional peers for goal-creating actions and the top 9% for through balls per 90, as per FBref, so while he has an impressive completeness and bite about him, Frank will no doubt look to maximise this shining part of his skill set.
Luiz could certainly help in this regard, not only adding some tough-tackling quality to the fold but some flair and uniqueness too.
Even though the 27-year-old played a nominal part in Juventus’ season, he still finished the campaign ranked among the top 9% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues for passes attempted and the top 5% for successful take-ons per 90.
This goes to show that the players, contrasting but in concert with their emphasis on collecting the ball and enhancing their side’s fluency, could prove a deadly duo indeed, supplying the forwards and working hard to protect the defenders behind them.
Frank’s set-up can be defined by its transitional focus. He said that “adaptability is really important to him”, and in these two midfielders, the Danish tactician would find that he has contrasting parts who could both be fielded alongside each other or indeed act as the foil for the other, stepping in when called upon.
Such a breadth of options is something that Postecoglou lacked last year, and that’s in part down to injuries, but there’s no question that Luiz and Gibbs-White would enhance a Spurs side that is starting to show signs that it can take the next steps toward something special.
If Levy manages to pull off both these exciting midfield signings, it could be exactly what Frank’s system needs to kick on and challenge at the front end of the Premier League next term while pushing to succeed in the Champions League and maybe even win a bit more silverware too.
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