With the departure of Eric Dier and the arrival of a freshman trio, Tottenham Hotspur’s predicted best 11 for the second half of the 2023-24 season has been revealed.
The Sun reported on Sunday (July 7), “Tottenham’s squad could look different after the January transfer window. They are set to bring in Chelsea’s failed signing Timo Werner and could also form a new defensive partnership. Here’s how Tottenham could add Timo Werner to their attack and a new center back to their defense,” and revealed their predicted top 11 for the second half of the season.
Tottenham are currently linked with three players. Werner, Japanese defender Ko Itakura, and handsome Romanian center back Ragu Dragusin, who will replace Son Heung-min, who has been called up to the national team for the Asian Cup.
The Sun’s first projected lineup is a 4-3-3 formation with Werner and Son on either flank. The Brazilian striker would start at center forward, with Werner on the left and Son Heung-min on the right.
The midfield three would be a combination of solid midfielders Oliver Skipp, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Giovanni Rosselso. Then, in the back, I flanked Destiny Udogie and Pedro Foro with Itakura and Dragusin at center back. In goal was Guglielmo Vicario.
The second projected lineup had Heucharlison dropping to the bench and Son Heung-min starting up top. Werner would start on the left and Brennan Johnson on the right flank.
There were also changes in the midfield. Yves Bissouma will replace Rosselso and partner Bentancur at skip. There are no changes in the back four, including Vicario in goal.
The third and final projected lineup was a big change. Instead of Anzhi Postecoglou’s preferred 4-3-3 formation, the team went with a 4-1-2-1-2 diamond formation. Here, Son Heung-min and Werner would be paired up top.
In the attacking midfield, Rosselso was expected to start, with Skip, Bissouma, and Bentancur behind him. In the defense, Cristian Romero, not Itakura, would line up alongside Dragucin. The left and right flanks and goalkeepers remained unchanged, with Udogie, Foro, and Vicario.
The Sun added: “Werner is set to join Tottenham on loan this summer with an option to buy outright. Werner will be given an immediate chance to play under Postecoglou.” “Captain Son Heung-min will be out for a few weeks due to his participation in the Asian Cup. Werner can play on the wing and Hischarlisson can play up front.”
“Werner may not be the only new face at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The former Manchester City youth product has developed into a top defender since joining Borussia Mönchengladbach in Germany. Postecoglou is said to be a longtime fan of Itakura, having watched him since his days as Celtic manager.”
“The Romanian star, who currently plays for Serie A side Genoa, would be a great addition to a Spurs side that has been relying on full-backs such as Micky Van der Vaart, who has just returned from injury, Ben Davies, who has replaced the injured Romero, and Emerson Royal.”
The most imminent of the three is Werner, a German striker who failed at Chelsea in the past. European soccer transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano wrote on social media that “Tottenham have already booked a medical for Werner. Tottenham are waiting for the contract to be signed and the loan deal will be finalized. Werner will start training with Tottenham next week.”
On the same day, the BBC reported that “Tottenham have agreed a loan deal to sign Werner from Leipzig,” indicating that Werner’s arrival at Spurs was imminent.
Werner once made a name for himself as one of the best strikers in Germany and the Bundesliga. After scoring 90 goals and providing 40 assists in 156 games during a four-year spell with Leipzig from 2016-2020, Werner scored 28 goals in 34 appearances in the 2019-20 season, attracting interest from big European clubs.
Premier League giants Liverpool and Chelsea were among those interested, with the latter making a £45 million ($83.6 million) move for Werner ahead of the 2020-21 season. However, in his second year, Werner fell out of contention for a starting role in the 2021-22 season, scoring just four goals and providing one assist in the league. He played just 1285 minutes in 21 league games, and by the end of the season, he wasn’t even in the starting lineup as he was labeled as a non-factor.
After losing his place at Chelsea, Werner returned to his hometown club Leipzig in the summer of 2022 to secure playing time. At the time, Leipzig reportedly paid €30 million to reacquire Werner.
Back at home and in the Bundesliga, Werner enjoyed a resurgence last season, scoring 16 goals and providing six assists in 40 appearances across all competitions, including nine goals and four assists in 27 league games. However, similar to his time at Chelsea, he struggled in his second season and once again pushed for a move. A move to Tottenham would mark his return to the Premier League after a year and a half away.