Tottenham make move to sign £35m midfielder

How far Spurs have fallen since the days of Luka Modric, Christian Eriksen, Gareth Bale and Co.

It wasn’t long ago that Tottenham Hotspur qualified for a Champions League final. They had one of the best young managers in the game in Mauricio Pochettino. They also had the game’s best striker in Harry Kane.

Yet, for a whole host of reasons, the Lilywhites have never truly been able to kick on. Whatever you think of Daniel Levy, he certainly ran the club in a more efficient manner than Johan Lange and Vinai Venkatesham have this season.

The duo head into this summer knowing that a third successive relegation battle simply cannot afford to happen. This is an illustrious club; fighting at the bottom of the table is not the norm.

So, how do they turn the tide? Roberto De Zerbi‘s arrival is one positive first step; now they need to back him in the transfer window.

Spurs advancing on key signings for 2026/27

De Zerbi admitted after Spurs survived the drop on Sunday that there is no time for holidays. Quite. They need to press on with things quickly and ensure they are towards the European places next term.

To help them do just that, Lange and Co are already closing in on two free transfers, one for Marcos Senesi at Bournemouth and the other for Andy Robertson at Liverpool.

Considering the state of Tottenham’s backline over the last couple of seasons, they should help enormously as they aim to improve defensively.

Yet, they cannot afford to neglect the midfield. Conor Gallaghar’s arrival in January was an impressive one considering his ties with Chelsea and Atletico Madrid. Yet, he did not do very much to help with the issues that Spurs have playing through the centre.

There were some improved performances under their new Italian head coach but the make up of those central areas are still under question.

Well, perhaps a new signing could help. According to reports in Italy, via Sport Witness, the Londoners have made their move to sign Fiorentina midfielder Nicolo Fagioli.

The report notes that Spurs have been in contact with the Serie A side, thus putting them in pole position to secure the 25-year-old’s signature this summer.

No fee is mentioned but prior reports have suggested that it could take as much as £35m to bring him to English football.

What Fagioli would bring to Tottenham’s midfield

Considering just how many midfielders Spurs actually have, the fact they struggled to put together a trio capable of stringing some strong performances together is hugely alarming.

Rodrigo Bentancur missed a lot of the season due to injury but when he did come back, they looked more unified in central areas.

Elsewhere, Lucas Bergvall also sat out a lot of the season and because of injuries elsewhere, Archie Gray was not always used in his favoured position.

The less said about Yves Bissouma’s Spurs career the better while the jury remains out on Gallagher. One of the primary issues with most of their midfielder is the lack of progression.

While plenty are tidy in possession, notably Bentancur and Bergvall, they lack the ability to punch possession through the centre of the pitch, to gallop past a player.

Well, Fagioli could solve that and then some. Compared to his teammates at Fiorentina, the Italian ranked fourth in the squad this term for progressive carries per 90 minutes with 6.95. To put that into context, no midfielder in the Spurs squad made more than Pape Matar Sarr’s 5.56.

Said to be “one of the more well-rounded midfielders of his generation, an all-action box-to-box 8” by Como scout Ben Mattinson, there is something of a Luka Modric vibe to the way Fagioli plays.

“Highly technical” in the words of Mattinson and a player with “incredible abilities” as per Italian sporting director Ariedo Braida, the former Juventus midfielder is cut from a similar cloth when it comes to passing. One of Modric’s best attributes was the way he could carve open a defence with his passing ability and keep things ticking over like a metronome.

In the Serie A during 2025/26, only 13 players reigstered more than Fagioli’s 2.18 key passes per 90. Only eight players were better with regards to key passes from open play. When it comes to finding a teammate, the Spurs target is elite.

Compared to positionally similar players in Europe’s top five leagues this term, the Italian ranks in the top 10% of midfielders for progressive passes too.

Completing 90% of his passes on average, this is a player who very rarely loses the ball. Already compared to Andrea Pirlo, it certainly makes sense that he’d be compared to Modric too.

His carrying ability means he’s more of a lively presence in the middle of the park, someone that can burst forward with a bit more hustle and bustle but that would be a huge boon for a Spurs team missing positive energy in the middle of the park.