Paratici must sell Spurs flop who makes Lamela look like a good signing

It is promising to see that Thomas Frank has the backing of the Tottenham Hotspur board, who are ready to back their struggling manager in the transfer market this January.

Clearly, investment is needed. Spurs are 14th in the Premier League table, which is progress after last year’s flirtation with the drop zone, but still so far beneath the expected standard down N17.

But while Tottenham need to make signings – especially in wide attacking positions – they have been buffeted by a winter hailstorm when regarding Antoine Semenyo, with Sky Sports revealing they have ended their interest in the Bournemouth winger as Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United all intensify their intrigue.

Son Heung-min aside, Tottenham have often found their wingers to have flattered to deceive in recent years. They need to get it right now, especially if long-term interest in Semenyo is to come to nought.

How Spurs can react to missing out on Semenyo

There’s no question that Semenyo is a top talent. He has scored eight goals and supplied three more in the Premier League this season, with such power and dynamism in his performances.

However, Tottenham might have their own version already in Mikey Moore, who is out on loan in the Scottish Premiership with Rangers. The 18-year-old is a fantastic dribbler with a low centre of gravity and a strong core.

However, Tottenham need to continue repurposing their flanks. There are too many planks of driftwood about the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and this has been a recurring theme for a while.

Take Erik Lamela, for example. The old Lilywhites winger joined from Roma for about £26m in 2013, a part of that influx of players who replaced Gareth Bale when the Welshman went to Real Madrid for a world-record fee. He had natural talent, but he largely flattered to deceive, scoring only 17 times in the Premier League across 177 appearances. Only twice did he record more than two goals in any single league campaign.

Signing Lamela after Bale left for Los Blancos is a blundered spin of events that could be attributed to the current situation, should Tottenham fail to land the right target.

However, whoever the north Londoners bring in, they may want to cash in on another flop who actually makes the Argentine look like a good signing.

Spurs must sell “frightening” winger

As the January transfer window looms large, Tottenham have compiled a list of targets to strengthen Frank’s squad. Semenyo is joined by the likes of RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande and Real Madrid superstar Rodrygo in being on the radar, as per TEAMtalk.

These would be expensive deals to strike, so Spurs might want to place emphasis on shipping Brennan Johnson out, with the £100k-per-week winger having fallen by the wayside this season.

Johnson, 23, scored 19 goals across all competitions last season, including the winner in the Europa League final against Manchester United, but his general play leaves plenty to be desired. Simply, Tottenham need to be ruthless and ensure he leaves next month to underline their ambitions.

The Wales international is a wanted man, with Crystal Palace pushing to complete a loan move when the January market swings open.

A prolific wide forward, Johnson simply doesn’t offer enough, and this is inhibiting a Spurs side struggling for creativity and fluidity through the thirds.

Indeed, Johnson might be praised for his “frightening pace” by the likes of content creator HLTCO, but he doesn’t utilise his weaponry in an effective way.

FBref data further underlines Johnson’s deficiencies, with it revealed that the Wales international ranks among the bottom 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions (1.25) completed per 90.

You can see why Frank is reluctant to give him regular minutes in the Premier League. Johnson has a natural goalscoring sense, but he flattered to deceive when looking at his wider gameplay.

Lamela, on the other hand, did offer something when welcomed to the field, with his Puskas-winning goal in the North London Derby a case in point. Club legend Ossie Ardiles even believed that the retired 33-year-old was “more skilled than Bale” when in his heyday.

If Tottenham are to kick on, they need to make sure Johnson, a player offering extremely little, less than Lamela, is shipped on.

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