The players trudged off the pitch, aggrieved by their own enervated struggles as Wolverhampton Wanderers completed a league double. It's hardly a crisis, but Tottenham Hotspur clearly need to raise their game.
Fifth-placed in the Premier League, with Ange Postecoglou at the helm, Spurs have recruited shrewdly across the Australian's two transfer windows and there is an almost tangible sense that a new era of promise could have dawned in north London, but no one would argue that the road has not been laden with bumps thus far.
Tottenham have conceded first across five of the past six fixtures in all competitions, and while the likes of James Maddison and Micky van de Ven returned from injuries in January that had ruled them out for several months, there is a lack of synergy that could derail a promising season if not rectified.
Postecoglou will have to work internally to come up with a solution, but that's not to say that chairman Daniel Levy hasn't been plotting ahead of the summer, identifying players capable of joining the fold, hopefully with the allure of Champions League football come autumn.
Spurs summer transfer targets
Richarlison has scored nine goals from his past ten matches in the Premier League and has started to look like the clinical goalscorer Tottenham hoped they had purchased from Everton for £60m back in 2022, but noise suggests that an out-and-out centre-forward is a priority position for summer.
Ange weighing up Spurs forward signing as he eyes star with "blistering pace"
The Australian is a big fan.
ByEmilio GalantiniFeb 16, 2024
Not the only touted area for investment, the Lilywhites have fought hard to sign Conor Gallagher from Chelsea since Postecoglou's arrival but are still empty-handed, but a centre-midfielder will be signed this year, with recent reports suggesting as such.
Indeed, according to TEAMtalk, Everton's James Garner has been lined up as the dream Gallagher alternative, though with other Premier League outfits such as Newcastle United interested, Levy will need to essay a compelling case.
The Toffees mainstay has been integral under Sean Dyche, impressing with his all-action ability, and could make for an astute acquisition to complete Tottenham's midfield.
James Garner's season in numbers
This season, James Tarkowski is the sole outfield player to have completed more minutes for Everton than Garner, who has been praised for working his "socks off" by The Athletic's Patrick Boyland.
As per Sofascore, he has completed 82% of his passes across 24 Premier League appearances this season, averaging 1.3 key passes, 2.8 tackles, 5.3 ball recoveries and 1.5 interceptions and clearances per game while 58% of his dribble attempts and contested ground duels.
An impressively versatile player, has played in every midfield role conceivable this season, both centrally and out wide, with steady success whatever the deployment. He is an invaluable tool for Dyche and had the natural positional fluidity to slot right into Postecoglou's system.
Garner had not enjoyed the same fruits across the 2022/23 campaign, failing to start any of the first 30 matchweeks in the top-flight after his move to Goodison Park, but Dyche has recognised his innate talent and now he's flourishing.
James Garner's style of play
Once hailed as an "absolute beauty" of a player by pundit Martin Keown, Garner moved to Everton from Manchester United for £15m back on transfer deadline day in 2022, a move that looks more of a bargain by the week on Merseyside.
The aforementioned versatility is something that only a select few players master but the £30k-per-week star certainly looks to be headed in that direction, perhaps emulating the likes of James Milner in that regard.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Ball retention
Finishing
Interceptions
Crossing
Tackling
Source: WhoScored
Postecoglou has a fine midfield; he has creativity in Maddison, defensive mettle in Yves Bissouma, match intelligence and technique in Rodrigo Bentancur, and prodigious energy in Pape Matar Sarr, but Garner would bring an industriousness and discipline that could finally complete the pack.
With an anticipated return to European competition on the horizon, this is the kind of profile required to fire on all cylinders, indeed why such a vested interest has been focussed on Gallagher's signature, and while Everton will be reluctant to part with their dynamo, Levy will be confident of snapping up his man.
Might it be a case of one out, one in? This crop of players is hardly small and with Oliver Skipp likely to retain a spot in the squad – teenage star Lucas Bergvall also officially joining from Djurgårdens IF later this year – someone likely needs to leave.
That's without even mentioning Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, whose exit would surely facilitate a swoop for Garner.
How Garner compares to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Hojbjerg signed for Tottenham from then divisional rivals Southampton for just £15m (the same fee Everton paid for Garner) back in 2020, with his crisp technique and robustness in the engine room fitting into Jose Mourinho's set-up.
And indeed, while he has fallen by the wayside under Postecoglou, the Denmark international has maintained such strengths, ranking among the top 6% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted and the top 11% for progressive passes per 90.
But he's only started six times in the Premier League this season and even then only when Postecoglou is bereft of options, and with an average of just one tackle, 3.5 ball recoveries and 2.1 successful duels per game, he's hardly showing the kind of mobility and energy needed to flourish in the high-octane system.
As such, it's hardly a surprise that he's been deemed expendable, with a move to French club Lyon only falling through in January due to the player's rejection of the contract.
Out of contract in 2025, it seems natural that he will be urged to make a transfer away from north London this summer and that opens the door for Garner's arrival, with Hojbjerg's £100k-per-week salary a big burden off the weekly bill too.
Garner trumps Hojbjerg across nearly every metric of value and is young and improving at Everton. He'd be a treat under Ange's stewardship and must be signed this summer to continue the revival down N17.