Last season, Tottenham Hotspur valiantly battled and survived relegation. This term, with new boss Roberto De Zerbi getting a full season run-out, serious improvements are still needed from Spurs.

The North London club already spent hundreds of millions of British pounds in the summer, but FourFourTwo have identified three further signings that, if secured in January, could improve this faltering Spurs machine.

Tottenham Hotspur added two Premier League standouts in Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali to their ranks ahead of the 2026-27 term, but there’s another man in the centre of the park desperately needed in North London.

Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest)

If Spurs are serious about competing, they will go all in to secure the services of Morgan Gibbs-White, one of the Premier League’s finest midfield talents. By January, it appears likely that Nottingham Forest, led by an under threat Oliver Glasner, will still be among the relegation candidates.

Gibbs-White, naturally, will be worried about his Premier League future. Sure, it’ll take an absurd fee to lure the Englishman away from the City Ground, but Spurs need him.

The 26-year-old is pure dynamism in the midfield, a strong, clinical finisher, and a player who always inspires that creative spark needed to drag Nottingham Forest through their darkest of days.

With Spurs, the Englishman would make the step up to a ‘Big 6’ club without the ‘Big 6’ standards that accompany such transfers. Given time, he could become one of the leading figures to inspire a culture change in North London, and either help to bring Tottenham Hotspur to future glory, or use the club as a stepping stone to another sizeable club in England, or wider Europe.

Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton)

This transfer makes sense on enough levels to warrant serious Spurs consideration. The Brighton winger is available for cheaper than he would have been seasons prior, has been linked to the North London side before, and, crucially, Mitoma brings Premier League-proven quality, which is more vital in today’s game than it ever has been in the English top-flight.

The Seagulls’ man is, unfortunately, of an injury-prone nature, but that shouldn’t matter much to Tottenham Hotspur. Ludicrous amounts of money have been poured into forming not just a strong squad, but a deep one, and adding Mitoma to their ranks could be lucrative, if the Brighton star is managed correctly.

Pulling out the £20-30 million it’ll take to buy Mitoma is a reasonable investment for a player that can rotate consistently with summer signings Savio and Omar Marmoush, and, if the Japanese forward can rediscover his previous Premier League heights in London, he will likely give Spurs an extra dimension in attack that could prove invaluable in a push for Europe.

Also, with Xavi Simons still recovering from injury, the motivation is right there for Mitoma to use his first few months at Spurs wisely and push the Dutchman out from the left flank. Quick, tricky, with the finishing to match, Spurs should call Brighton up this winter.

Igor Matanovic (Freiburg)

Spurs are crying out for a strong, agile centre-forward, and Igor Matanovic is their man. In the Bundesliga this season, he’s notched three goals and an assist in four German top-flight matches, having bagged 11 and two in 31 outings last term.

Matanovic could elevate Spurs significantly, particularly with the presence of Mitoma on the left flank, by offering aerial threat, clinical finishing and agile movement. And, if those three factors weren’t enough, Freiburg won’t be demanding ridiculous money for the Croatian, which makes him an ideal signing for a window in which Spurs will need to lay down well over £100 million for Gibbs-White.

In all competitions, Matanovic has already bagged five goals in 531 minutes of play this term; Spurs previously enquired about the Freiburg man in September and, despite the eventual addition of Omar Marmoush, a player of his profile is still needed in London.

At just 23 years of age, the Croatian is also one for the future at Spurs. Also, a switch-up at striker in January could ruffle some feathers and inspire the entire attacking unit to fight for their places, with so many Tottenham Hotspur forwards able to play in multiple front-line positions. Get Freiburg on the phone in January and Matanovic will surely be in North London come the new year.