Who Tottenham Hotspur could sign before the deadline at the end of this week

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank and chairman Daniel Levy

Thomas Frank has begun his Tottenham Hotspur career in the best possible way with two wins from his opening two Premier League games.

But for a late, late comeback by Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup, the Lilywhites would've also had another European trophy in their cabinet.

Frank can at least be happy with the performance of his side in that game, if not the result, and with a week left until the closure of the summer transfer window, the Dane is still hunting around for those players who will ensure that Spurs don't fall away as they did last season under Ange Postecoglou.

It is worth noting that the Australian's first 10 Premier League games saw eight wins and two draws, with at least two goals scored in nine of those matches, so Tottenham have had a very recent false dawn, not to mention the many before.

Of course, Postecoglou's second season saw his squad beset by injuries to key players, and Frank is already missing the creativity of James Maddison0and the services of Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma, Destiny Udogie, Radu Dragusin and Manor Solomon.

It's perhaps why the die-hard Spurs fan won't be getting too excited at this juncture and will see just how well the team can perform under this manager across the season before passing judgment.

At least the Tottenham faithful won't be able to level any criticism at Daniel Levy for not backing his manager in the transfer market.

The north Londoners have already signed Mohammed Kudus, made Mathys Tel's loan move a permanent one, signed Joao Palhinha on loan with a view to a permanent deal, and also landed Kevin Danso, Luka Vuskovic and Kota Takai.

According to reports, they're now looking at deals for Manchester City's Savinho, Atletico Madrid's former Chelsea man, Conor Gallagher, Nico Paz from Como, West Ham's Lucas Paqueta and AS Monaco's Maghnes Akliouche.

Whilst all of the aforementioned are unlikely to be landed, a 360.7m fee for Savinho hasn't put Spurs off, and they've already made a 343m (€50m) bid for Paz.

With the possible exception of the more industrious Gallagher, the other players of interest are all creative, front-foot exponents who will ignite Tottenham's attacking intent.

Savinho's Recent Stats

Savinho's 10 assists, for example, were the most in the Man City side last season, with the Brazilian also adding two goals for good measure.

His Premier League passing accuracy was a more than acceptable 87.3%, rising to 91.7% in the Carabao Cup.

Savinho Radar Graphic - Premier League 2024/25

11 big chances created in the English top-flight were also in the upper bracket, whilst his 86 successful take-ons in all competitions are an indication of how positive and direct a runner he is when faced by a defence leaving space in behind.

27 of those take-ons either ended with an assist, a chance created or a cross, and in a Spurs attack which thrives on service, Savinho's purposeful determination could be key.

West Ham fans will be up in arms if the club accede to a potential Tottenham move for Paqueta, having already lost Kudus to their fiercest rivals.

A player who scores the occasional goal - the piledriver against Chelsea being the latest - he is much more adept at finding space in tight areas, and bringing others into play in often congested attacking parts of the pitch.

As a silky midfield creator, there's an expectation that Paqueta should be able take on the Maddison role with aplomb. However, if one looks at the detail, there's no real comparison.

Maddison, for example, scored nine goals and provided seven assists in last season's Premier League, whilst Paqueta didn't execute a single assist and scored just four goals.

An 86.8% pass accuracy from the Tottenham man also trumped the Brazilian's 78.8%.

Ex-Real Madrid ace, Paz, is something of an unknown quantity in the English top-flight, but at just 20 years of age, the left-sided Argentinian midfielder managed to score six goals and provide eight assists in last season's Serie A, a division renowned for the Catenaccio defensive style that many teams play.

A strong six-footer with wonderful vision and the ability to thread through balls into even the smallest of gaps, he loves to get forward too, as 23 shots on target from inside the box would attest.

Simone Inzaghi on Nico Paz

Best described as an all-rounder, with the majority of his career ahead of him and the versatility to play in a variety of positions, his fee, whilst expensive on the face of it - Como want closer to €70m (360m) - could prove to be a huge bargain in hindsight.

Akliouche is only likely to be pursued if the Savinho deal falls through. If not, the former will likely end up as the latter's replacement at Man City.

12 goals and seven assists in all competitions last season sets him apart, and at a reported 347.5m, represents much better value than Savinho.

Maghnes Akliouche Pass Map - Ligue 1 2024/25

14 fast breaks hints at Akliouche's speed from a standing start, whilst his 84.9% pass completion shows more than enough consistency in possession, and 179 ball recoveries is a fantastic return for such an attack-minded player.

Ultimately, Frank and Levy need to get their summer purchases exactly right this year. If they can do just that, 2025/26 could be another vintage campaign for the north London outfit.

Jason Pettigrove