Spurs reach verbal agreement to sign their biggest talent since Kane & Son

Can you imagine where Tottenham Hotspur would have finished last season with Harry Kane and Heung-min Son leading the line? It doesn’t even bare thinking about, does it?

The fact of the matter is that ever since the duo left, Spurs’ powers have waned. The Lilywhites have so often been the nearly men when it comes to trophies but without Kane and Son, they became the nearly men as far as relegation is concerned too.

Thankfully, Roberto De Zerbi arrived and arrested the club from their great slump. Brighter times are promised now and how the transfer window has played out so far is an indication that they have no desire of finishing down the bottom of the Premier League again.

A huge sum of money looks set to be spent and truthfully, it was needed after another 17th place finish.

Spurs in positive talks to seal huge summer signing

Three arrivals are already confirmed at Spurs. In Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson, they did not have to break the bank. In fact, the vault was barely opened as they both arrived on free transfers.

It was certainly opened to fund the £52m move for Jan Paul van Hecke but the former Brighton defender does not look likely to be the biggest signing of the summer.

Indeed, over the last week, all of the chatter has been dominated by Sandro Tonali’s name. The Italian has been chased by Manchester City and Arsenal but Spurs look like the frontrunners right now having already agreed personal terms with the player.

Yet, a fee of £100m could well prove to be inhibitive in their pursuit of the Newcastle star.

A cheaper option, although not by much, is set to be West Ham United’s Mateus Fernandes. There is a world in which Spurs are able to sign both of them but that feels unlikely.

Regardless of that, a move for Fernandes does feel like a distinct possibility and according to the latest reports, slowly but surely, they are moving closer to signing the Portuguese.

As per the Independant, Spurs have held ‘positive talks’ with West Ham over the 21-year-old and are said to be making good headway on a potential transfer.

The Londoners are fighting with Manchester United to secure the midfielders signature and are currently well-poised to do so. Spurs have reportedly offered a higher wage proposal and the player is now keen to join.

Valued at £85m by other reports, the Red Devils are not interested in the slightest of getting into a bidding war.

One Spurs insider has further suggested that a “verbal agreement” has actually been reached with the Hammers already. Everything looks to be pointing towards a transfer being formalised.

Why Fernandes could be Spurs’ biggest talent in years

Last summer was a wretched window for Spurs, one that rather set the tone for the season that was to play out. Tottenham thought they were signing Morgan Gibbs-White, only for Nottingham Forest to call off the deal and they thought they were signing Eberechi Eze too, only for Arsenal to hijack a move at the 11th hour.

They did, at least, end up with Xavi Simons but despite flirting with being a good signing, he has largely underwhelmed given the £52m fee shelled out.

While football is a team game, there is a feeling that De Zerbi’s side are missing some sparkle, some star power as they aim to rise up the table and fight for the European places again.

Since Kane and Son left, they simply haven’t had that. Their plight without them has been abundantly clear.

In all fairness, it is not easy to replace that level of quality and indeed authority in the team but they must find a way to do so. Well, in someone like Tonali and especially in Fernandes, they could finally replace that star power.

Of course, they are very different players. Kane and Son scored goals aplenty; that is not Fernandes’ role. Yet, his ability commands a starring role and it’s not too over the top to suggest he would immediately become the club’s best player when he arrives.

Why? Well, at the age of 21, he is already one of the best young players in Europe. He’s already one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.

Last season, when comparing the West Ham youngster to fellow U21 midfielders in Europe’s top seven leagues, he ranked first for possession won, defensive duels won and interceptions while sitting ranking second for progressive passes completed.

This is a player capable of taking the midfield at Spurs to a brand new level. While Tottenham had plenty of issues in 2025/26, one of the biggest issues was the midfield, particularly without James Maddison sitting at the top of it.

In the likes of Conor Gallagher, Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr, they had a host of one dimensional players, players who could not transition the ball forward between defence and attack very well.

Well, Fernandes is certainly not one dimensional. Strong in the duel, he’s also capable of retaining possession exceptionally well and progressing play.

Alongside Arsenal’s Declan Rice, Fernandes is one of the best ‘ground eaters’ in the top-flight. According to the data, the two best players in the Premier League this season in that regard were those two. No other players had a higher ratio of progressive carry distance to turnover per carry. Confused by what that means? Well, it is essentially how much forward ground a player gains via dribbling before losing the ball.

The West Ham may not bring the goals like Kane or Son but he’s someone who will no doubt grab the match by the scruff of the neck. He’s a player who the game will run seamlessly through. He would undoubtedly be their best player in a good few years.