Last Friday, Tottenham Hotspur's most likely route toward silverware was severed after Manchester City struck late in north London to knock Ange Postecoglou's side out of the competition.
It would be unjust to claim that this was a detrimental blow for Spurs, who failed to qualify for European football last term and underwent a big transformation in the summer upon Postecoglou's appointment, multiple new signings integrated and club record scorer Harry Kane sold to Bayern Munich.
An early Carabao Cup exit against Fulham highlighted the lack of depth and defeat against the Citizens at the weekend leaves a bitter taste but, candidly, an acceptable one to swallow.
Tottenham will now place full focus on the Premier League and have much to fight for in the division, currently in fifth place and just three points behind Arsenal and Aston Villa above – though table-toppers Liverpool are eight points ahead of the London side.
Nonetheless, Tottenham have strengthened this month and look stronger with Radu Dragusin replacing Eric Dier in defence and Timo Werner adding some depth and dynamism to the frontline.
A centre-midfielder is still coveted and Conor Gallagher has been on the radar this month, but Chelsea look unlikely to let him leave Stamford Bridge.
Spurs eyeing stunning late swoop
Spurs supporters need not worry regarding Gallagher; late-window news has filtered in concerning one of the most prominent midfield stars in Europe.
Latest Tottenham transfer news: Striker search latest; defender nears exit
Ange Postecoglou is looking to strengthen his side in the summer market once again.
ByBrogan ClasperAug 1, 2024
Indeed, according to recent news from Football Insider, Spurs are lining up a stunning late swoop for Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich, with the German Bundesliga champions willing to let the midfielder leave this month.
The German international is out of contract in 2025 and Thomas Tuchel's side would want somewhere in the region of £40-60m to grant his departure.
How Joshua Kimmich would fit in at Tottenham
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been on the periphery under Postecoglou's management and could complete a move away in the coming days, rejecting an offer from French strugglers Lyon but still likely to transfer away.
The Dane's sale is crucial to facilitate the incoming of a high-profile, large-outlay phenom such as Kimmich, who has been one of the gold standards in deep-lying midfield over much of his time at the Allianz Arena, moving from right-back to the midfield anchor some years ago.
Once dubbed an "absolutely phenomenal" player by former Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho, the 82-cap international has completed 370 fixtures for Bayern and won the complete gamut of silverware domestically, also gleaning the Champions League in 2020.
In the Bundesliga this season, as per Sofascore, Kimmich has sustained some sublime showings, completing 91% of his passes, averaging 2.7 key passes, 1.7 tackles and 6.1 ball recoveries per game and winning 58% of his ground duels.
Situated at the base of the midfield, Kimmich drifts forward and orchestrates openings with supreme ability and would be a sensational addition to the Spurs team.
Given that he is probably more comfortable in sticking to a deep-lying role than Gallagher, the 28-year-old might actually be the best option for transfer at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, allowing the likes of Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison to operate further upfield.
Of course, Yves Bissouma is one of the meanest tough-tackling players on English shores but he has proved himself unreliable on the disciplinary front this season and a "world-class" – as hailed by former Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge – in-team rival in Kimmich would only improve the overall quality of Postecoglou's team.
Casemiro
Manchester United
Declan Rice
Arsenal
Moises Caicedo
Chelsea
Source: Football Transfers
Of course, the added bonus that he offers a skill set similar to that of Arsenal star Declan Rice hardly hampers his chances of a transfer to Tottenham, with Postecoglou sure to relish capturing his own version of the England international.
How Joshua Kimmich compares to Declan Rice
Arsenal completed the £105m transfer of Rice from West Ham United in the summer to replace Granit Xhaka and continue the remarkable growth under the tutelage of Mikel Arteta.
A sense of malaise might have crept into the Emirates Stadium following a blip after Christmas – failing to win three straight matches – but there's no disputing the fact that Arsenal have come on leaps and bounds over recent years and have signed one of Europe's best midfielders in Rice, who has been lauded for his "sensational" performances since his cross-London switch by journalist Matt Scott.
Sure, Postecoglou thinks that's cool and everything but he would only find true felicity in securing the services of a midfield machine to springboard his side into ascendancy in the Premier League – and, down the line, on the continent.
Matches played
14
21
Goals
0.08
0.15
Assists
0.25
0.10
Pass completion (%)
91%
91%
Progressive passes
10.9
9.21
Progressive carries
1.48
1.93
Successful take-ons
0.00
0.64
Shot-creating actions
5.82
2.03
Tackles
1.97
2.13
Tackles won
1.39
1.24
Interceptions
0.82
1.53
Blocks
1.23
1.14
Now, the player comparison presented above displays variegated strengths when assessing Kimmich and Rice's skill set, and how the former would enhance Tottenham's squad, with similarities to Rice but advantages across key areas that make him the perfect fit down N17. Let's elucidate this matter.
First, Rice is superior in his ball-carrying ability, surpassing Kimmich in progressive carries (1.93 vs 1.48) and trumping the German in successful take-ons, though given that the Munich player has not actually completed a single take-on, this speaks of positional choice, rather than deficiency.
In this way, metrics can appear to favour one player on surface value, but deeper analysis illuminates the reasoning behind certain segments of a player's skill set.
Further on this point, Rice surpasses Kimmich in rate of tackles (2.13 vs 1.97) but is actually far less accurate in reclaiming possession from a carrier.
Kimmich's tactical role requires him to remain deeper and cling to the anchor rather than pivot between the thirds – though that's certainly not to say that he isn't active and ubiquitous in his movement and command in the midfield.
And though Kimmich tends not to drift into the box, he eclipses Rice in shot-creating actions (5.28 vs 2.03), denoting his celestial range of delivery – indeed, the £322k-per-week star has been dubbed a "passing master" by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
In summation, Kimmich and Rice might share many similar skills – notably in their defensive attributes – but the German would actually be the perfect addition for Tottenham with a tactical style that suits Postecoglou's system and the player required to complete the transformation in the centre of the park.
It's a big, bold approach, but then Postecoglou is hardly proving himself to be circumspect at Tottenham and Kimmich would be a stunning acquisition for an outfit on the rise.