Tottenham’s biggest deadline day shockers – Dele Alli surprise inclusion and Brazilian flop
Tottenham have had their hits, but they have also had their deadline day misses over the years.
At times, it has been another summer of missed opportunity at Tottenham.
Daniel Levy thought Spurs were close to signing Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace. However, it took hours for Arsenal to step in and hijack Eze’s transfer.
Morgan Gibbs-White was another player set to arrive in North London. But a long-drawn-out saga later and Gibbs-White extended with Nottingham Forest. While Tottenham fans have been less than impressed, Levy is free of the burden he’d face if these transfers failed once signed.
The Chairman and the North London club have had their fair share of deadline doozies in the past, as Tottenham News takes a look at some of the worst ones.
Giovani Lo Celso
Tottenham completed the signing of Giovani Lo Celso from Real Betis on a season-long loan on 8 August 2019.
The Lilywhites made his contract permanent on 28 January 2020 for around £27million, with a new deal running until the summer of 2025.
- Lo Celso scored his first Premier League goal against Manchester City on 21 November 2021, 35 seconds after coming on as a substitute
- 31 January 2022: Lo Celso joined Villarreal on loan until the end of the 2021/22 season
With injuries and loan spells defining his time in North London, he never reached his full potential at Spurs. Lo Celso returned to Real Betis on 30 August 2024.
Tottenham were set to see Johnny Cardoso arrive at a discounted price as part of the deal. But Cardoso preferred to sign for Atletico Madrid.
Hossam Ghaly
Tottenham signed Hossam Ghaly on 31 January 2006 on a four-and-a-half-year contract despite Arsenal’s interest.
Ghaly scored his first and only goal in the Premier League during a 3-1 victory over Watford.
It all went downhill for him after he pulled off his shirt and threw it to the ground during a Premier League game against Blackburn on 10 May 2007. The ordeal left Spurs fans furious, and he was disciplined by the North London club soon after.
Despite his apology, he never played for Tottenham again that season and was loaned to Derby County in January 2008 until the end of the season.
Dele Alli
Tottenham signed Dele Alli on 2 February 2015 on a five-and-a-half-year deal during the final hours of the transfer window.
Following his transfer to the Lilywhites, he was loaned back to MK Dons for the remainder of the 2014/15 season. He was honoured as the Young Player of the Year at the Football League Awards in April.
- Alli scored his first goal for Spurs in a 1-1 draw against Leicester City in 2015
- In April 2017, the forward was named the PFA Young Player of the Year and was included in the PFA Team of the Year for a second time
Alli makes this list not because of what he was for Tottenham, but because all he could have been.
A series of disciplinary issues and poor performances saw him fall out of favour with Antonio Conte during the 2021/22 season. Alli was put on the transfer list by Tottenham during the January 2022 window.
Gilberto
Tottenham signed Gilberto on a permanent transfer from Hertha Berlin on 31 January 2008.
An initial injury meant that he did not make his debut for Spurs until PSV in the UEFA Europa League on 8 March 2008. But he was replaced by Jamie O’Hara at half-time after a costly mistake which led to PSV scoring the only goal of the game.
- Gilberto made just three appearances for Tottenham during the 2008/09 season
- His final game was against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League on 26 February 2009
The Brazilian signed for Cruzeiro on 17 July 2009, which marked the end of his Spurs career.
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