Is there ever a dull moment at Tottenham Hotspur? It would appear not.
After losing their clash with Newcastle 2-0 on Saturday, their number one target for the remainder of the window in the form of Cody Gakpo decided he wanted to join Manchester City.
That, however, has opened the door for one of the most remarkable swap deals. City had explored Iliman Ndiaye alongside Gakpo but news broke on Sunday morning indicating that the Senegalese would be heading to Spurs instead with Richarlison moving in the opposite direction.
What Ndiaye can offer to Tottenham
The work Tottenham have performed in the transfer window this summer has been nothing short of remarkable.
With the Lilywhites having finished 17th last term, they needed to make a splash and boy have they done that. In the last few days alone, both Savio and Omar Marmoush have arrived from Manchester City but they always wanted one more forward.
Well, in the shape of Ndiaye, they are on the cusp of signing “the most skilful player in the Premier League” in the words of Everton defender Vitaly Mykolenko.
It is hard to dispute that claim, truth be told. While the Senegal sensation may not offer goals in abundance – he scored just six last term – he will offer a box of tricks. This is a player who is just so hard to get the ball off.
Last season, only City’s Jeremy Doku completed more dribbles over the course of the Premier League season than Ndiaye. Furthermore, only six players in Europe’s top five leagues completed more in league action. The company he’s keeping is simply world-class.
|
Most dribbles in Europe’s big leagues – 2025/26 |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Dribble tally |
|
1) Lamine Yamal |
127 |
|
2) Yan Diomande |
115 |
|
3) Vinicius Junior |
85 |
|
4) Kenan Yildiz |
78 |
|
5) Jeremy Doku |
77 |
|
6) Kylian Mbappe |
73 |
|
7) Iliman Ndiaye |
70 |
|
8) Yann Gboho |
70 |
|
9) Victor Munoz |
69 |
|
10) Antonio Nusa |
68 |
So, the 26-year-old has the potential to be a devastating addition to Spurs’ forward options. With him and Savinho – a player who ranked among the finest 1% of wingers in Europe’s big leagues last term for progressive carries per 90 – they will have a pair of wide players who can bamboozle a backline in an instant.
Could another winger head to Spurs?
After the Lilywhites were made abundantly clear that Gakpo wanted Man City instead, to their credit, Spurs have responded in emphatic fashion to sign one of the best wingers in England’s top-flight.
They always wanted another forward and after their early season Premier League displays, losing two on the trot, that was not much of a surprise.
Yet, could there be one last deal in the pipeline? While Ndiaye will likely fetch an astronomical price tag given what we’ve seen this summer, there might well be a cheaper deal on the cards too in the form of £34m-rated Malick Fofana.
Indeed, according to TEAMtalk, the Lilywhites have made enquiries to sign four other wingers in the last few days. Those include AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic, Lille’s Matheus Fernandez-Pardo, Frankfurt’s Jean-Matteo Bahoya and Lyon’s Fofana.
Some of those options would appear to be off the table already. Bahoya is reportedly on his way to Hull while Newcastle are allegedly closing in on a move to sign Fernandez-Pardo.
So, if they are seeking one last move in the market, it’ll have to be Pulisic or Fofana. The former is a household name due to his past experience at Chelsea while the latter is very much an up and comer.
Last term was a difficult one for the 21-year-old who after undergoing ankle surgery in October, missed so much football that he only started nine times in Ligue 1 for Lyon. Across the season the youngster bagged two goals.
2024/25, however, showcased why he is one of most vibrant young wingers in European football, scoring 11 times and supplying six assists.
It was a very Ndiaye-like season from Fofana. Indeed, the Everton man scored the same number of goals that campaign.
From a dribbling point of view, they are different. In that aforementioned season, the Lyon star completed 1.36 dribbles per 90. Yet, that does not mean he’s a slouch, far from it.
He’s still electric and he’s so quick too, completing 5.33 progressive carries per 90 minutes that term. That ranked him among the finest 5% of wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for that metric.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
Like Ndiaye, he can get his team up the pitch in double quick time. The way they manouvre the ball and dart past players is very alike.
Fofana is a creative threat too. In that regard, he’s like Savio as well; a daring winger with the ability to fashion goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. In 2024/25, the young Belgian ranked as highly as the top 9% of wingers in Europe for expected assists from open play per 90.
So, while it does seem unlikely that Tottenham sign another winger, for a fee as low as £34m, they could sign a likeminded player to Ndiaye and bolster their depth.
Indeed, another young winger in Mathys Tel has hardly hit the ground running this season. His dire free-kick against Newcastle on Saturday summed him up.