2025 is likely to be a big year of change at Tottenham Hotspur.
Manager Ange Postecoglou himself admits that the ‘general sentiment’ is that he’ll be sacked, even if Spurs win the Europa League, set to face Bodø/Glimt in the semi-finals, after ousting Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday.
So, with the club currently 15th in the Premier League table, Daniel Levy could be searching for a new manager come the summer, while the first-team squad may require a mass rebuild too.
So, do Tottenham lead the chase to sign a highly-rated youngster?
Tottenham's teenaged transfer target
According to a report by Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur are one of many top European clubs ‘tracking’ Gambian ‘sensation’ Gibril Sima, with Levy said to be ‘ready to pay big’ get a deal over the line.
Considering the 17-year-old plays for Gambian Dutch Lions FC in his native country, very little is known about him, but Pete O’Rourke describes him as “the next big talent to emerge from Gambia”, adding that both Internazionale and Borussia Dortmund are also interested in securing his signature.
A report by Ebrima KB Sonko of Gambiana praises Sima’s ‘standout performances’, labelling him a ‘highly-rated young talent’, while also noting that he has signed a two-year contract extension with his club, thereby protecting his transfer value.
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So, could he be on his way to North London this summer?
Tottenham's transfer strategy
As outlined by Jay Harris of the Athletic, Tottenham’s transfer strategy last summer was clear; sign young players, as the table below illustrates.
Lucas Bergvall
19
£8.5m
43
Archie Gray
19
£40m
40
Dominic Solanke
27
£65m
38
Wilson Odobert
20
£25m
14
Yang Min-hyeok
18
£3m
Zero
Antonín Kinský
22
£12.5m
8
Kevin Danso
26
£21m*
8
Mathys Tel
19
£60m*
12
*loan with an obligation to buy included
As the table presents, of the eight players Spurs have recruited throughout this season, six are aged 22 or under, with Dominic Solanke the oldest at 27.
This though, is nothing new, and Sima’s potential arrival, coming in from a lower level with very little known about him, is reminiscent of a recent Spurs legend.
Dele Alli signed for Tottenham in January 2015 from Milton Keynes Dons for a reported fee of £5m, still only 18 years old at the time, having made just 88 senior appearances at League One level, scoring 24 goals and providing ten assists for MK.
Well, fair to say this was money well spent, considering Dele would go on to make 269 appearances for Spurs, registering 67 goals and 59 assists, a key member of the Spurs side that regularly finished in the top four and reached a Champions League Final.
Even after his powers began to wane, then-manager José Mourinho described Dele as “very, very important for Tottenham”, having become the youngest Englishman to score 50 Premier League goals, as noted by Charlie Eccleshare, Tom Worville and Jack Pitt-Brooke of the Athletic.
In his prime, Dele was comparable to the best Premier League midfielders of all time, simply now seeking to resurrect his career in Italy, having joined Serie A side Como in January.
Nevertheless, Dele proves that a club can find a gem in the transfer market at a low fee and turn them into a star; given that Tottenham might not be in European competition next season, this has to be the strategy, and Sima seemingly fits the bill.
As another young rising star – having even earned comparisons to Arsenal icon Thierry Henry, as per O’Rourke – it certainly bodes well for the impact that the Gambian make, should he be plucked from obscurity.
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