Tottenham eyeing Real Madrid star to fill James Maddison sized midfield void
The injury crisis engulfing Tottenham Hotspur’s attacking midfield department has taken another twist as their pursuit of Real Madrid’s Brahim Díaz appears doomed before formal negotiations could begin.
With James Maddison facing an extended spell on the sidelines and Dejan Kulusevski still recovering from offseason knee surgery, new manager Thomas Frank finds his creative options alarmingly thin just weeks before the Premier League’s kickoff.
Díaz had emerged as an ideal solution to Spurs’ predicament. The 25-year-old Moroccan international’s versatility capable of operating centrally as a traditional number ten, in wider areas, or as a false nine would have provided Frank with tactical flexibility.
His modest but respectable return of four goals and two assists in limited La Liga action last season (just 16 starts) demonstrated his ability to contribute despite fierce competition at the Bernabéu.
However, Tottenham’s hopes of capitalizing on Díaz’s reduced role under Carlo Ancelotti have been dashed by Xabi Alonso’s arrival.
The new Madrid boss has explicitly included Díaz in his plans, viewing the former Manchester City academy product as a valuable squad player who can unlock defenses in multiple positions.
This development leaves Spurs back at square one in their search for creative reinforcements.
The situation highlights the broader challenges facing Frank as he reshapes Tottenham’s squad. While the signings of Mohammed Kudus, João Palhinha, and Kota Takai have addressed other areas, the collapse of the Morgan Gibbs-White deal and now the Díaz setback leave a glaring hole in attacking midfield.
Kudus will shoulder the creative burden initially, but the Ghanaian’s preference for driving runs rather than intricate link-up play makes him a different profile to Maddison’s playmaking strengths.
Tottenham’s recruitment team now faces a race against time to identify viable alternatives. The club’s data analysts will need to scour Europe for players who can:
- Provide immediate Premier League-ready quality
- Offer tactical flexibility across multiple attacking positions
- Fit within Financial Fair Play parameters
- Be available despite the advanced stage of the transfer window
Compounding the urgency is Kulusevski’s delayed return, which leaves Spurs potentially starting the campaign with only young academy products as backup to Kudus.
This precarious situation could force Daniel Levy to dig deeper into the club’s reserves than initially planned, with the risk of overpaying for stopgap solutions increasing as the September deadline approaches.
As preseason preparations intensify, Frank must decide whether to persist with pursuing Díaz against the odds, shift focus to secondary targets, or reconfigure his system to minimize reliance on a traditional playmaker.
Whatever path Tottenham choose, the coming weeks will test the club’s recruitment strategy and reveal whether their summer business has truly equipped them for a top-four challenge.
One thing is certain—the creative conundrum created by Maddison’s injury cannot be ignored if Spurs are to avoid stumbling at the season’s first hurdle.