Tottenham Hotspur have now reportedly tabled an offer in their pursuit of a playmaker to replace James Maddison, who’s now set to miss the majority of 2025/2026 after suffering an ACL injury.
The news zero Spurs fans wanted to see was confirmed in an official Lilywhites statement on Thursday morning.
| Tottenham’s best-performing regulars in the Premier League – 2024/2025 | Average match rating |
|---|---|
| Son Heung-min | 7.00 |
| James Maddison | 6.98 |
| Pedro Porro | 6.95 |
| Dominic Solanke | 6.84 |
| Dejan Kulusevski | 6.83 |
| via WhoScored | |
Maddison is set to undergo surgery on his right knee, which is expected to keep him out for a very lengthy period, and Thomas Frank now goes into their first competitive game of the season – a blockbuster UEFA Super Cup clash against PSG – seriously bereft of forward options.
The 28-year-old has returned to the sidelines almost immediately after recovering from a similar knee problem, which kept him out of the Europa League final. To add insult to injury, Frank is also minus club legend Son Heung-min – who waved an emotional goodbye before his switch to LAFC earlier this week – and fellow injured attacking threat Dejan Kulusevski.
It’s a sorry state of affairs for Spurs, and Frank’s only saving grace is that these absences come amid a transfer window.
Tottenham have made contact over a move for Man City’s Jack Grealish, as per Fabrizio Romano, but they’ll need to decide whether to pursue a move pretty quickly as Everton are currently in talks.
Spurs were on the verge of signing Nottingham Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White this time four weeks ago, who would’ve been the perfect man to step into Maddison’s shoes, but Evangelos Marinakis was quick to ensure that solving their number 10 headache wouldn’t be so easy.
Their botched deal for Gibbs-White is now looking more significant than ever before, but according to Sky Italia reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, Tottenham are attempting to rectify it with a move for Como sensation Nico Paz.
Tottenham submit bid for Como star Nico Paz with response given
The Argentine attacking midfielder bagged six goals and nine assists in 35 Serie A appearances under Cesc Fàbregas last campaign, and footballing icon Lionel Messi has already lavished praise on his compatriot as a real one to watch.
Nico has many qualities and understands the game perfectly,” said Messi, via Football Italia.
“He has an impressive mind and is working with a coach who is my friend (Cesc Fabregas) who will help him grow even more.”
Their pursuit of him comes after Maddison’s injury, as per Di Marzio, who also writes that Tottenham have submitted a £35 million offer for Paz already.
However, they’ll need to go back in again with an improved bid, with Como rejecting their approach out of hand. The Italians have set a public valuation of around £61 million for Paz, and an offer of at least £52 million will be needed to even bring Fabregas’ side to the negotiating table.
The 20-year-old joined Como from Real Madrid last summer after making eight senior appearances under ex-boss Carlo Ancelotti, including three in the Champions League, so he’s already familiar with the pressures of representing an elite-level club.
However, a price of close to £60m would make Paz one of Spurs’ most expensive ever signings, which could be seen as a major gamble considering he’s only had one full season of regular senior football.
