Spurs have entered club-to-club talks to sign their new Modric

Tottenham Hotspur have money to spend this summer, but they have spent their fair share over the years, and the usage of their funds has been the determining factor in this detrimental landslide.

Too many signings have fallen flat, and ENIC Group need to quickly learn from the club’s previous mistakes to avoid another season of turmoil.

Roberto De Zerbi saved the club from slipping into the Championship, which would have been a calamitous and potentially detrimental outcome, financial and sporting ramifications considered, but Spurs have struggled to sustain strong spells of form for several years now, since Antonio Conte secured a 4th-place Premier League finish. Even then, much was left to be desired.

Tottenham have suffered – but every cloud. Now there is a real opportunity to bounce back and challenge for European qualification and titles.

However, signings are needed, and some of the deadwood needs clearing out too, with club captain Cristian Romero sadly within that category.

Spurs need to replace Cristian Romero

Romero is going to leave Tottenham this summer. This has been intimated for a while now, and the impending signing of Marcos Senesi, whose contract with Bournemouth is about to expire, ENIC are expected to green-light his departure, with Spanish giants interested.

Micky van de Ven is going to stay put (fingers crossed), but there’s no question that Spurs need more depth at the back – deepening the squad while adding bona fide quality that is catered to De Zerbi’s specific system.

According to reports on the continent, Tottenham have entered club-to-club talks with Dinamo Zagreb for centre-back Sergi Dominguez, rivalling Lazio in the race for the former Barcelona youngster.

Dominguez, 21, graduated from the La Masia and then moved to the Croatian capital, where he has developed into a strong centre-back boasting a modern ball-playing skillset.

It’s been a while since Spurs signed someone from Zagreb, but it is territory they have crossed before, bringing Luka Modric over to London to an emphatic effect.

Why Dominguez can be Spurs’ new Luka Modric

Modric is one of the greatest players of his generation; best known for his historic exploits in Spain with Real Madrid, Croatia’s greatest-ever player cut his teeth across a number of years in Tottenham before joining Los Blancos for £30m,

Dominguez is a centre-half, sharing few technical properties with the 40-year-old – who, by the by, is still kicking and heading for the World Cup in North America – but he does have the kind of style that could see him thrive in the Premier League.

After all, he’s not only excellent on the ball, a skill that was fostered over many years in Barcelona’s youth system, but a steely defensive sense, winning duels and aerial battles. In the Croatian top flight, he won 67% of his aerial duels.

Someone like Romero is obviously far more refined, but it’s worth remembering that Modric was a young and inexperienced midfielder who went on to achieve greatness.

It’s a rare thing for a defender to offer both skill on the ball and a natural aptitude for defending. It could see him thrive at Tottenham, going on to attract the vested interests of the biggest clubs in the world.

Dominguez might not be a maestro of a midfielder, cut from the same cloth as Modric well before him, but he can enjoy a similar impact for a Spurs side looking to drive up the table and resecure themselves in Champions League contention. It could be a shrewd deal, and a fondly remembered one at that.