Tottenham sit 10th after 10 Premier League games this season, and Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Leeds ended a three-match winning run. Roberto De Zerbi’s side have lost four times and failed to score in five matches, which points straight at the final third. Last season ended with Spurs barely clear of relegation, so the margin for another slow start is thin. De Zerbi admitted his players are “not ready yet to be consistent for many games in a row”.

Injuries have made that worse. Xavi Simons isn’t expected back from a knee problem until February, Wilson Odobert is recovering from an ACL tear and Savio picked up a fresh injury before the Coventry game. Mathys Tel also went off injured at Elland Road after a challenge on his Achilles. Dejan Kulusevski has only just returned, so De Zerbi has little depth on the flanks.

The Italian arrived on 31 March after Thomas Frank’s dismissal and Igor Tudor’s interim spell, and he favours a short-passing build-up that needs wide players who receive in tight spaces and attack the box. In August he held up one outgoing loan until attacking reinforcements arrived, and that player’s season has not gone as Spurs hoped.

Sky Sport Germany now reports that Köln see no way of keeping Mikey Moore beyond this season. The 19-year-old joined without a purchase option, so he returns in the summer. He has played 497 Bundesliga minutes without a goal and one assist. His contract runs until 2030, and Transfermarkt values him at €18m, roughly £15.5m.

Moore ranked second in the Bundesliga for expected assists last month, and he scored seven league goals for Rangers last season. German media have criticised his lack of assertiveness, while Köln, 15th on nine points, have used him as a number ten rather than on the wing.

Tottenham transfer news: Should Tottenham trust Moore with a first-team role next season?

Only as a rotation option. Köln’s central experiment suits his dribbling less than the touchline does, so 497 barren minutes say as much about the role as the player.

Spurs shouldn’t build around him. A side that struggles to score needs proven finishers, and Moore has never reached double figures in a season. With Simons, Odobert and Kulusevski due back, his minutes would be limited.

The 2030 contract leaves Tottenham in control. If Fulham and Everton want him at the €30m (about £26m) a German outlet reported in the summer, selling would be sensible business. Otherwise, keep him.