Tottenham: Eberechi Eze, Jack Grealish and the transfer targets who can replace injured James Maddison | OneFootball

Will Spurs go with proven Premier League experience or a diamond in the rough?

Side-lined: James Maddison will be out for a lengthy period with a knee injury suffered in pre-season

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Tottenham may be forced to dip into the transfer market for a new playmaker after it was revealed that James Maddison must undergo surgery on a ruptured ACL.

But none of those players carry the creative force of a Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski - who looks set to miss the start of the season with a knee injury of his own - or indeed Morgan Gibbs-White, who came close to a move to north London before signing a new deal at Nottingham Forest.

There were links with the likes of Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss earlier in the transfer window but the relatively inexperienced Moroccan is also being pursued by a litany of other clubs, if transfer rumours are to be believed.

So, if Spurs were to prefer someone more tried and tested in England’s top flight, where could they look? And what about an up-and-coming former Real Madrid player now plying his trade in Italy?

Here, Standard Sport assesses two proven Premier League stars and one young talent from abroad who could step into the No10 void at Spurs

Jack Grealish is said to want a move away from the Etihad to boost his gametime ahead of the World Cup

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Jack Grealish

Spurs aren’t the only club vying to rescue Jack Grealish from the Etihad’s fringes, but this one still might be the easiest move to get over the line.

For starters, Grealish is understood to be seeking a move away from Manchester City - be it permanently or on loan - in order to rack up more regular gametime ahead of next summer’s World Cup.

He would of course face some competition for a weekly spot in the XI once Kulusevski returns, even with Maddison remaining a likely long-term absentee. But Spurs’ attacking depth is still nowhere close to City’s - and with Champions League football to worry about now, too, Frank will need all the capable and experienced bodies he can find.

Grealish has failed to quite live up to his lofty price tag since arriving in Manchester four years ago, and indeed has featured more as a tricky left winger than an attacking midfielder under Pep Guardiola, with the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Phil Foden preferred through the middle. Yet he’s a quality playmaker on his day and at 29, surely has at least a few more of those good days left in him if given sufficient opportunities.

There are reports that the Lilywhites enquired about the former Aston Villa man over the weekend, and they’ll hope the appeal of Frank’s project and Champions League involvement will persuade him more than other mooted suitors like Everton or West Ham.

Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze

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Eberechi Eze

Could Spurs steal Eberechi Eze from right under Arsenal’s noses?

The 27-year-old England international and one-time Gunners academy member is very much still a Crystal Palace player at present, with a release clause of £68m set to expire on August 15.

That’s a good bit more than what Spurs would have to shell out for present day Grealish, particularly if City were to prefer a loan move, while Arsenal have so far failed in their own attempts to persuade Palace to part with their star despite Eze reportedly being open to a move to the Emirates.

Tempting him to a different part of north London might be a difficult task, then, despite Spurs also holding an interest in the FA Cup winner earlier this summer.

Eze is, however, perhaps the perfect player to slot into this Spurs side.

His ability to play on the left would be useful in light of Heung-min Son’s departure, but he has really excelled - perhaps more so than Grealish - as a central attacking midfielder at Palace, delivering eight goals and eight assists in 30 league appearances last season. That, of course, is the very role Spurs needs to fill most in light of Maddison and Kulusevski’s injury woes.

A proven Premier League talent entering the prime of his career, Eze agreeing to join Spurs would be a significant coup for Frank & Co. Whether they can pull it off, particularly with their fierce rivals lurking and the Eagles far from keen to let him leave, is another matter.

Como attacking midfielder Nico Paz

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Nico Paz

A less recognisable name to the average English football fan, meanwhile, is Nico Paz.

Spurs are evidently familiar with the 20-year-old Argentina international though, and reportedly hold an interest in him amid claims from Italy that they have already submitted a bid of around £35m to his current employers Como.

The Serie A side are said to have no intention of selling Paz, who starred last season in the team’s first top-flight campaign in over two decades, scoring six goals and registering nine assists in 35 appearances as Como finished 10th.

He has also proven to be incredibly versatile so far in his young career, featuring most frequently as an attacking midfielder but also capable of lining up in a deeper midfield role, in the frontline, or on either flank.

Capped three times at the senior level for his country, Paz joined Como from Real Madrid last summer after coming up through the youth set-up with Los Blancos. After making his first team debut in a Champions League fixture against Braga in October 2023, he made a further seven appearances for the side before moving to Italy last August for around €6m (£5m).

Madrid are understood to have decided against activating an €8million (£6.9m) buy-back clause for him, so Spurs may not face an immediate challenge from the Spanish giants if they are able to table an offer that turns Como’s head.

Xabi Alonso’s side do reportedly still hold similar clauses of €9m clause and €10m clause for 2026 and 2027, though, and also have the ability to match an offer from any other club at any time.