The 2021/22 Premier League season is almost over, and for Tottenham, these final weeks will dictate both their summer signings and how next campaign could play out.
The north Londoners are set to battle fierce rivals Arsenal for fourth spot, with Mikel Arteta’s side currently leading the race for the final UEFA Champions League place in the Premier League table.
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With the likes of Aaron Ramsdale, Martin Odegaard and Takehiro Tomiyasu all set to play huge roles for Arsenal in the remaining games of the season, it’s safe to say that the red side of north London got things pretty spot on in the summer transfer window.
All six of the Gunners’ new arrivals have played an important role at some point during the season, whilst for Tottenham, a strong argument could be made that only one of their summer signings has worked out in Cristian Romero.
Indeed, as for the other three, we will look into how poorly they have done at Tottenham since arriving in the summer, and what does the future hold for the trio in the upcoming transfer window.
Pierluigi Gollini (Atalanta – loan + option to buy)
The first signing Tottenham made in the summer transfer window, Pierluigi Gollini was viewed, at the time, as a bold new arrival for Spurs, with the Atalanta star brought in on loan with an option to buy depending on how he performed in England.
Seen by many as a smart long-term successor to Hugo Lloris, Gollini landed in London with plenty of promise and potential, with many Spurs supporters thinking that the Italian could replace their club captain in the starting XI at some point in the season.
However, nearly eight months into the campaign and with Gollini’s loan contract coming to an end, the 26-year-old keeper has played a grand total of zero Premier League minutes and just ten appearances in all competitions, with Lloris also extending his contract with Tottenham.
To say the experiment has been a colossal failure would be something of an understatement, and with reports suggesting that Tottenham have no intention of making Gollini’s loan move permanent, the keeper himself must be feeling that he’s wasted a year of his career sitting on the bench at Spurs whilst leaving his future at Atalanta on the ropes.
Bryan Gil (Sevilla – £21m + Erik Lamela)
Signing one of Spain’s most exciting prospects whilst also shipping out an underperforming and ageing player on massive wages is a transfer that seems only possible in FIFA Career Mode, yet Tottenham managed to do just that for Bryan Gil.
Signed for £21m with Erik Lamela going the other way as reported by Sky Sports News, the Beatles-lookalike was viewed by many as one of the most well-worked transfers of the summer, with Tottenham landing an incredible talent in Gil whilst also offloading a player many fans were happy to see the back of.
However, this is Tottenham, and as we know, the signing of Gil has been nothing short of a car crash. The winger failed to adapt to both Nuno Espirito Santo and Conte’s system, and in the January window, the youngster was loaned back to Spain to Valencia.
And in classic Spurs fashion, Gil has been a revelation for the La Liga side, with the playmaker’s performances drawing comparisons from local media to Lionel Messi and the 21-year-old playing a key role in getting Valencia to the Copa del Rey final.
Whilst the Spaniard’s January replacement Dejan Kulusevski has been brilliant for Tottenham, there’s no denying that the north London side got it completely wrong with Gil, with the deal essentially working out as Spurs paying £21m to have two excellent players not play for their club.
Emerson Royal (Barcelona – £25m)
A loan player heading back to their club with their reputation in ruins, Spurs somehow Spursing up an exciting transfer, how could Tottenham possibly have a third summer transfer go wrong? Enter, Emerson Royal.
The Brazilian defender joined Tottenham on the last day of the summer window in a deal worth £25m according to Sky Sports News, with Spurs beating Arsenal to Emerson’s signature whilst the Gunners instead signed Tomiyasu.
As mentioned at the top, the Japanese international has been nothing short of incredible for Arsenal and has been one of the Premier League signings of the season. As for Emerson at Tottenham, well, I think we all know how the fullback has done for Spurs.
Whilst the 25-year-old hasn’t been a dumpster fire of a disappointment like Gil, there’s no denying that Emerson has been a huge disappointment at Spurs, so much so that reports now suggest that Conte is looking to sign a replacement for the right-back just one year after his arrival to the Premier League.
Indeed, Emerson’s future with Tottenham is on thin ice, and it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the north London side grant a move for the defender if an interested club comes in for the former Barcelona star, who could be open to leaving north London, as well.
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