Tottenham Hotspur failed to address several glaring issues within the squad during the January transfer window. They did bring in Conor Gallagher and Souza, but those acquisitions have been widely considered insufficient for a squad that has been beset by injuries.

After failing to turn the club’s fortunes around, Thomas Frank was finally shown the door. The Dane’s disastrous tenure ended with the Lilywhites languishing in 16th place and just five points above the relegation zone. Igor Tudor was announced as Spurs’ caretaker head coach at the weekend, and the 47-year-old faces the uphill task of getting a tune out of the squad and keeping them in the top flight.

While all energy and focus of the club is to salvage the season, the planning for the summer transfer window continues to happen behind the scenes. One key area that requires attention is the midfield. Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall are long-term injuries, while uncertainty remains over the future of Joao Palhinha, who is on loan from Bayern Munich.

Tottenham have been reportedly keeping tabs on Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney for some time now. They were planning to sign the England Under-21 international during the winter transfer window, but...