The start of Ange Postecoglou's tenure at Tottenham has been utterly captivating.
Spurs may well have lost their record scorer in Harry Kane to Bayern Munich but barring a mini flip towards the back end of November, have been met with very few obstacles in turning the ship around.
The Lilywhites are in contention for Champions League football again and they are doing so with a swashbuckling approach to the game under their Aussie manager.
Still, it feels like there are still a few missing components from the machine. With Kane's departure in mind, a striker may well still be needed, hence links to the likes of Ivan Toney and Santiago Gimenez.
The latter was linked with a £60m move to north London last week, as per reports from Football Insider.
The Feyenoord attacker has an “insane” scoring record over the past 15 months, as U23 scout Antonio Mango stated, and is also said to be attracting interest from Chelsea and Arsenal. This season alone (as of 18th December), Gimenez has found the net 20 times in 21 outings. Remarkable stuff indeed.
The Eredivisie hasn't always been a happy hunting ground for Spurs, however. You only need to look at their last 11 signings from Dutch shores to realise that. Here's a rundown of where those signings are now.
1 Steven Bergwijn – Signed in 2019/20
Bergwijn was a Jose Mourinho signing in the winter of 2020 but it's safe to say that things never truly worked out for the Dutchman in London. A wonderful goal against Manchester City on his debut was as good as it got for a player who's now enjoying a far more vibrant time with Ajax, scoring eight times in 20 outings and attracting interest from West Ham as a result.
Signed from
PSV
Games for Spurs
83
Goals at Spurs
8
Next club after Spurs
Ajax
Where are they now?
Ajax
2 Davinson Sanchez – Signed in 2017/18
Poor old Sanchez endured a rollercoaster ride at Spurs, notably booed by his own supporters last season when the club took on Bournemouth under Cristian Stellini's stewardship. A player who was notably error-stricken, the centre-back is now playing for Galatasaray in Turkey.
Signed from
Ajax
Games for Spurs
207
Goals at Spurs
5
Next club after Spurs
Galatasaray
Where are they now?
Galatasaray
3 Vincent Janssen – Signed in 2016/17
Arguably one of Tottenham's worst signings of recent times, a deal to land Gimenez could evoke terrible memories of when they welcomed Janssen to the Premier League. Now 29 years of age, the Dutch forward scored only six goals in 42 games for Spurs, but is now on fire at Royal Antwerp in Belgium, scoring 12 times so far this season.
Signed from
AZ Alkmaar
Games for Spurs
42
Goals at Spurs
6
Next club after Spurs
Monterrey
Where are they now?
Royal Antwerp
4 Christian Eriksen – Signed in 2013/14
From one of the club's worst signings of the last ten years to one of their best. Eriksen is still much loved by Tottenham fans the world over and as such, supporters will be hoping that should a deal materialise for Gimenez, that it replicates this wonderfully successful move.
The Dane was nothing short of exceptional at Tottenham, scoring 69 times and supplying 90 assists from over 300 outings in the white of Spurs. He was and still is one of the finest playmakers the club has ever had and it wasn't until James Maddison arrived that they finally replaced his creative qualities. Eriksen, of course, is now elsewhere in the Premier League at Manchester United.
Signed from
Ajax
Games for Spurs
305
Goals at Spurs
69
Next club after Spurs
Inter Milan
Where are they now?
Manchester United
5 Jan Vertonghen – Signed in 2012/13
Another of Spurs' finest captures comes in the form of the Belgian midfielder who even went on to captain Tottenham for a sustained period of time.
It's hard to sum up the impact Vertonghen had at Spurs. He was a colossus at the back, a pillar of consistency and a player that would surely now relish life under Postecoglou. Aged 36, the centre-back currently plays in his homeland for Anderlecht.
Signed from
Ajax
Games for Spurs
313
Goals at Spurs
14
Next club after Spurs
Benfica
Where are they now?
Anderlecht
6 Heurelho Gomes – Signed in 2008/09
The goalkeeper is a bit of an icon in English football. Whether or not for all the right reasons, however, is to be debated. Gomes would also go on to play for Watford in the Premier League but his reputation was one of both exceptional quality and comedy.
An error was never too far around the corner with the BBC’s John Sinnott recalling the time the Brazilian actually played against Tottenham for PSV: “Gomes had an erratic game, frequently keeping his side in the game, only then to endanger his team with a rush of blood to the head." This was typical of his time in England.
Signed from
PSV
Games for Spurs
134
Clean sheets at Spurs
46
Next club after Spurs
Watford
Where are they now?
Retired
7 Hossam Ghaly – Signed in 2005/06
Ghaly was an interesting signing nearly 20 years ago, notably because Spurs allegedly beat Arsenal to his signing. The Egyptian never set the world alight in England and was sadly part of the infamous Derby County side who finished with the lowest points tally in Premier League history after a loan spell with the Rams in 2008.
Signed from
Feyenoord
Games for Spurs
34
Goals at Spurs
3
Next club after Spurs
Al Nassr
Where are they now?
Retired
8 Young-pyo Lee – Signed in 2005/06
Former Spurs boss Martin Jol once described Lee as "the best left-back in Holland." He feels like an underrated servant to the Tottenham cause in years gone by. A well-liked figure, the full-back is one of few Spurs players to actually win a trophy. Indeed, he was part of the League Cup winning team in 2007/08, although missed the final through injury.
Signed from
PSV
Games for Spurs
92
Goals at Spurs
0
Next club after Spurs
Borussia Dortmund
Where are they now?
Retired
9 Mounir El Hamdaoui – Signed in 2004/05
We're moving into forgotten figure territory now. El Hamdaoui was another Jol signing but he never ended up playing in the Premier League before moving back to the Netherlands via a loan spell with Derby.
Signed from
Excelsior
Games for Spurs
0
Goals at Spurs
0
Next club after Spurs
Willem II
Where are they now?
Retired
10 Edson Sousa – Signed in 2004/05
A Portugal U20 international at the time, Sousa signed as a hot prospect but like El Hamdaoui never played a league game for Spurs, even if he was named as a substitute on multiple occasions. He bizarrely only spent six months in London before moving back to the Netherlands on loan and then exiting permanently.
Signed from
PSV
Games for Spurs
0
Goals at Spurs
0
Next club after Spurs
Zamalek
Where are they now?
Managing in Cape Verde