JUST NOW: Ange Postecoglou makes several Spurs transfer predictions ahead of the transfer deadline…
Ange Postecoglou admits the chance of any more incomings at Tottenham before the transfer deadline is ‘unlikely.’
The Spurs have already brought in Radu Dragusin and Timo Werner, but had eyed other targets to boost their chances of Champions League qualification.
The north London club had been linked with a moves for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher and Club Brugge winger Antonio Nusa.
But with 24 hours left in the window, Postecoglou has closed the blinds on any potential incomings in what has been a quiet month for Premier League sides.
“Unlikely I’d say,” said the Australian head coach when pressed on Spurs’ hopes of bring adding to their squad.
“I don’t see any incoming. Outgoings are a little bit different because I’m not as engaged on that. Others are dealing with that but I’d say also unlikely.”
Postecoglou is preparing his side for Wednesday night’s visit of Brentford in a crucial clash in the race for the top four.
Spurs are currently fifth, three-points adrift of Aston Villa, with all to play for in the coming months.
Postecoglou’s men are showing signs of finding their feet again after a wretched November that saw them lose top spot after collecting just one point from a possible 15.
Tottenham drew 2-2 at Manchester United in the last Premier League fixture and a return to winning ways against Brentford would provide the perfect opportunity to kickstart their quest for a return to European football.
The Spurs boss confirmed that despite his exit in the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal, Pape Matar Sarr will miss Wednesday’s game but could be in contention for a return in Saturday’s trip to Everton.
“The latest I heard is he should be back tomorrow at some stage,” Postecoglou added. “Disappointed for him and Senegal. From our side he’s a key member of the squad, we’ll have him back and he should be available for Saturday.”
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Fifa: Clubs spent record US$9.63b on international transfers in 2023
DOHA, Jan 30 — Clubs worldwide spent a record US$9.63 billion (RM45.5 billion) on international transfers in 2023, an increase of nearly 50 per cent compared to 2022, world football’s governing body Fifa said in its Global Transfer Report published on Tuesday.
After transfer spending fell in 2020 and 2021 due to the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, outlays on players have only increased, with last year’s total spend seeing an increase of 48.1 per cent compared to 2022.
The figure also smashed the previous record set in 2019 by more than US$2 billion, with English clubs spending the most with a new high of US$2.96 billion while four countries’ associations received more than US$1 billion in transfer fees in 2023.
England were followed by Saudi Arabian clubs who tried to draw some of the best players from European sides to the Saudi Pro League last year following the marquee signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, which saw several players move to the Middle East.
“Clubs from Saudi Arabia featured among the top five spenders for the first time with a total outlay of US$970 million in 2023, compared to US$50.4 million in 2022,” Fifa said.
“Clubs from Germany were the number one recipients of transfer fees with a total of almost US$1.21 billion, the first-ever time that clubs from any one association have received more than US$1 billion in transfer fees in a calendar year.
“That being said, three more associations also joined Germany in this exclusive group in 2023: France (US$1.19 billion), England (US$1.04 billion) and Italy (US$1.02 billion).
The top men’s transfers include Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid, Enzo Fernandez from Benfica to Chelsea and Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur to Bayern Munich.
“The top 10 player transfers alone generated more than 10 per cent of the entire amount spent on transfer fees in 2023,” Fifa added.
Women’s football also had 20 per cent more international transfers last year compared to 2022, with the number of clubs involved rising from 507 in 2022 to 623 in 2023.
Fifa said a record 131 associations were involved in 1,888 women’s transfers, with the annual outlay hitting US$6.1 million — also a record and an 84.2 per cent increase from 2022.
The biggest international transfers in women’s football included Jill Roord from VfL Wolfsburg to Manchester City, Kyra Cooney-Cross from Hammarby to Arsenal and Lindsey Horan from Portland Thorns to Olympique Lyonnais.
However, 84.7 per cent of the transfers were for out-of-contract women’s players.
Fifa also said that more than 50,000 amateur players moved across borders to join a club in a new association, with 91.7 per cent of those being male players. — Reuters
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