Fittingly for a participant as pacy as Timo Werner, probably the most placing issues about his mortgage transfer to Tottenham Hotspur is the pace with which it occurred.
Agreed over the weekend within the early knockings of the switch window, Spurs insiders have been commenting on how uncommon it’s for them to be so speedy. Usually in January, issues have gone to the wire. Throughout 12 years, seven of their final 10 signings within the winter window have been on deadline day (or later within the case of Ryan Nelsen), with the others on January 29 and January 28.
But right here Tottenham have been on the primary weekend in January, agreeing a switch which means Werner can be eligible to play in Spurs’ opening league recreation of 2024 (away at Manchester United on Sunday). Except for Gedson Fernandes in 2020, the final time Spurs fielded a January signing in the identical January was Lewis Holtby on January 30, 2013, having signed two days earlier. Now, if Radu Dragusin completes his transfer from Genoa within the coming days, they might have two at Outdated Trafford on the weekend.
Within the case of Werner, Spurs acted shortly for a number of causes. One is that Postecoglou has demanded publicly and privately that the membership don’t hold about this window. And among the many Spurs’ hierarchy, there’s a need to offer the top coach, who has made such a very good begin, what he needs.
Technical director Johan Lange was conscious about this want for pace and labored to get as a lot in place as attainable heading into January. He was one of many key figures on this deal, together with Postecoglou, who has admired Werner for a very long time and is assured the previous Chelsea ahead can do effectively in his system. In different latest offers, together with ongoing ones such because the pursuit of Dragusin, Spurs’ former managing director of soccer Fabio Paratici — who now works for the membership on a consultancy foundation — has performed an enormous half. However this was not certainly one of them.
The pace was additionally pushed partly by Spurs’ information that different golf equipment, Manchester United amongst them, have been excited about Werner — so there wasn’t time to waste.
Regardless of various opinions about Werner from Spurs supporters, it was additionally a deal that internally was agreed on fairly unanimously. Postecoglou had recommended different targets, such because the winger Jota who he labored with at Celtic, however it was Werner who ticked essentially the most packing containers.
Werner scored 23 targets in 89 video games for Chelsea (James Williamson – AMA/Getty Photos)
The view amongst Postecoglou, Lange and his crew is that Werner is tactically versatile and provides an alternative choice on the left and thru the center — two areas wherein the squad is skinny, particularly with Son Heung-min away on the Asian Cup. Postecoglou has mentioned how a lot he values versatile, “multifunctional” gamers, and Werner suits that description.
The experiences on Werner’s character have been additionally very optimistic, which is one other necessary issue for Postecoglou when signing gamers. He believes that on the stage Spurs are working at, the expertise distinction between most gamers is negligible, with character being essential. Werner is alleged to be extremely motivated, conscientious, and team-focused.
In a taking part in sense, his compatibility with Spurs confirmed itself within the scouting and evaluation part by way of his tempo and important expertise at RB Leipzig, taking part in in a crew with an identical model. Plus he’s performed within the Premier League and lived in London, which ought to imply no main adaptation points and improve the possibility of him hitting the bottom operating.
For what may very well be a stop-gap signing, with the ability to make a mark right away was a prerequisite; there simply isn’t the time to carry somebody in who might take a number of months to adapt and solely be prepared because the season is ending.
Werner-sceptics can level to the truth that he by no means seemed totally comfy within the Premier League, and he has endured a poor half-season at Leipzig. Spurs are conscious of this however consider that beneath Postecoglou’s steerage, he might rediscover his finest type — and if he doesn’t, he’ll nonetheless beef up their attacking choices, which have seemed very gentle at instances this season.
GO DEEPER
Can Angeball unlock Timo Werner’s potential? We’re about to seek out out
With out wishing to single out gamers, it’s price remembering that for Spurs’ hardest recreation of the season, away at Manchester Metropolis, Bryan Gil began and Postecoglou’s solely viable substitute for him at half-time was Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Jamie Donley, then 18, got here on late within the recreation for his Spurs debut.
On this context, one can see why Tottenham really feel they’ve signed somebody who can immediately enhance their squad. Buying gamers in January is just not simple; there’s a component to which targets must be out of favour for them to have been allowed to go away. That or they value an enormous sum of money, typically for inflated charges as a result of the promoting membership is aware of of the customer’s desperation.
Within the discussions round Werner, Tottenham felt assured that they, or any of their rivals, would wrestle to seek out somebody of the German’s calibre and stage of expertise for the sort of deal they’ve struck. It’s comparatively low danger in that there’s an possibility to purchase on the finish of the mortgage (for round £15.5million) however no obligation.
Werner additionally has the added motivation of attempting to win his place within the Germany squad again in time for Euro 2024, hosted in his dwelling nation, for a crew managed by Julian Nagelsmann, the coach who received the perfect out of Werner at Leipzig throughout the 2019-20 season when the ahead scored 28 Bundesliga targets. He additionally scored 4 Champions League targets that season — certainly one of which was a penalty towards Jose Mourinho’s Spurs on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium within the spherical of 16 — as Leipzig reached the semi-finals. Throughout his profession, Werner has scored 17 targets in 43 Champions League video games — an identical report to Son, who has 19 in 55.
Werner scores for Chelsea at Actual Madrid in April 2022 (Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Photos)
With the Spurs decision-makers in settlement that the signing made sense, it was no nice problem convincing Leipzig and Werner. The participant is out of favour and has began solely two Bundesliga video games this season, so Leipzig have been comfortable to let him go and now not be burdened along with his wages.
Werner is enthused by the possibility to rekindle his profession and has been impressed with what he’s heard from Postecoglou about his means of taking part in and the function he sees for the brand new signing.
Leipzig technical director Mario Gomez helped to clarify why the deal went by way of so shortly when he mentioned on Monday: “It’s a win-win for everybody.”
He added: “Germany advantages from it. We profit from this as a result of we get a participant going. He’ll play frequently; that’s what Tottenham have conveyed to us.”
The thought of a “win-win” signing might go away some Tottenham supporters feeling a bit uneasy — you’d typically choose a promoting membership to be gutted about dropping the participant that’s about to affix your membership.
However that’s the scenario, which is why this was a comparatively easy deal. Now it’s all the way down to Postecoglou to indicate as soon as once more how adept he’s at getting the perfect out of gamers who others have written off.
GO DEEPER
Timo Werner must play for an optimistic soccer crew – Spurs might swimsuit him completely
(Prime picture: Maja Hitij/Getty Photos)
