Akliouche decision, Wilson move, Duran truth - Tottenham transfer deadline day plans explained

Here's the latest news at Tottenham Hotspur as transfer deadline day reaches its final hours with various windows about to close

Tottenham are running out of time to bring in new bodies to help Thomas Frank's ailing squad before the winter transfer window closes.

Just over four hours are remaining before the window shuts across the Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 at 7pm UK time and then at 10.59pm in La Liga. Tottenham currently have 11 injured players out of action and lost Cristian Romero to illness at half-time in the 2-2 draw with Manchester City on Sunday, with Wilson Odobert also coming off the bench to play through sickness.

"We are active, no doubt about that. If something happens, let’s see," said Frank last night of Tottenham's deadline day plans. "[Romero] I hope is minor nothing. Micky [van de Ven] we hope is back for Man United and Djed [Spence] is hopefully not too long."

So far that activity has not resulted in any movement. Tottenham will be looking to pull something out of the bag in dramatic style even if it's a late loan to boost Frank's numbers for the short-term but the clock is ticking.

So far it has been a transfer window in which the north London club have sold last season's top scorer in Brennan Johnson and spent the money on a central midfielder in Conor Gallagher, then signed 19-year-old left-back Souza for £13million, all the while suffering injuries throughout the squad.

Frank admitted to football.london last week that his squad was now weaker than when the window opened because of the injured players that have filled up the Hotspur Way treatment room.

Let's take a look at all departments of the Tottenham squad and work out what is needed in the final hours of the window.

Goalkeepers

It was always more likely that the summer will bring change in this department rather than this winter window. Guglielmo Vicario is firmly Frank's number one but has been linked with a return to Italy with Inter Milan especially interested in a summer move.

Antonin Kinsky has been linked with a loan move out of the club since the moment he walked into Spurs from Slavia Prague last year. West Ham are among those to have enquired about the 22-year-old but there seems little point in Tottenham having him swap one bench for another this season while also giving up one of their three Champions League squad changes for the knockout rounds to a new goalkeeper.

The current cover is Brandon Austin and academy stopper Luca Gunter which is not an experienced enough duo to rely on at this point if injuries strike, which makes a Kinsky move all the more illogical before the summer.

Defence

This department looks ravaged by injury but actually it's a temporary thing right now, especially at full-back.

On the left Spurs have Destiny Udogie and Souza, named on the bench for the first time on Sunday, and Ben Davies expected to miss much if not all of the remainder of the season after his ankle surgery.

The right-hand side is currently missing Spence and Pedro Porro are expected to return from their calf and hamstring injuries respectively in the next few weeks with Archie Gray deputising in the meantime.

Tottenham are said to have made a late check on Andy Robertson's status. The Scot was an unused substitute in Liverpool's win against Newcastle after playing the full 90 minutes against Qarabag, which Spurs had agreed in principle was meant to be his final game for Arne Slot's side if they could recall Kostas Tsimikas from Roma. So far they have not been able to.

Slot has said he does not have the squad depth to lose Robertson. Much will depend on what Liverpool do in the coming hours but that seems a potential summer move again at this point.

At centre-back, the numbers are currently there with Romero and Van de Ven expected to recover to face Manchester United next weekend. The ill Spurs captain was asked by a Spanish reporter after Sunday's game outside the dressing room if he was alright and replied "I'm okay".

Radu Dragusin got his first 90 minutes in a year. Despite plenty of interest in Serie A, the Romanian looks set to remain this window barring any late new arrival especially if Frank is to play with three centre-backs for the remainder of this season.

Palhinha has also shown he can fill in at the back and it comes as Kevin Danso limped through the mixed zone after Sunday's draw. The Austria international hyperextended his big toe against Frankfurt and a ligament snapped as he landed on the foot of an opponent.

Danso is set to see a consultant next week, but Frank said "it's in a big toe, so hopefully not too worrying". There is also 17-year-old Jun'ai Byfield, who has made his Premier League and Champions League debut while impressing Frank, his staff and the Spurs players.

There is also Luka Vuskovic starring in Germany, with another top drawer goalscoring performance in the Bundesliga, this time against Bayern Munich. Spurs would be crazy to block the 18-year-old's pathway with a new permanent centre-back arrival today.

Academy centre-back Alfie Dorrington looks set to join League Two side Salford City on deadline day.

Midfield

In central midfield Spurs do also have some bodies in terms of box-to-box midfielders currently.

Conor Gallagher has joined and grabbed his first assist on Sunday for Dominic Solanke's remarkable scorpion kick goal. There is also Yves Bissouma who is heading towards the end of his contract but it's looking possible that Tottenham could take up an option in his contract to ensure they can get a summer fee for him.

They are currently being used in other roles but there is also Joao Palhinha and Archie Gray, as well as Pape Matar Sarr, who is back from the Africa Cup of Nations and impressed in the second half against City.

Frank will also get Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison back eventually before the campaign comes to an end, with all three expected back from April onwards.

Lucas Paqueta claimed that Tottenham made an attempt to sign him before his move to Flamengo and a progressive playmaker style of midfielder is the one that Spurs could do with more cover in to provide cover for Xavi Simons, but there is also Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski to return.

It would have to be a great opportunity for the club to bolster a reasonably stocked department right now in the final hours of the window with priorities further up the pitch.

In the academy midfielder George Abbott is expected to make the move to League One side Mansfield Town on loan.

Attack

Frank has repeatedly admitted his bench is not strong enough with attacking options to create and get goals. Just a couple more absences would see that bench packed with academy youngsters instead of senior stars

Tottenham have looked at attacking players such as the injured Savinho, Omar Marmoush and Monaco's Maghnes Akliouche among others with a fleeting glance at the versatile 21-year-old Brazilian Angelo, who was at Chelsea but is now at Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League and is part of the same agency that represents Souza.

Akliouche makes a lot of sense for Tottenham but is not expected to join the club on Monday.

The 23-year-old, who has just over two years left on his contract, is seen as a good professional behind the scenes and would fit perfectly into the right-sided number 10 role in Frank's newly-installed 3-4-3 formation.

The Frenchman scored against Rennes on Saturday and was seen as a potential alternative to Xavi in the summer but would have brought a presence down the right in Mohammed Kudus' absence and replace the outgoing Johnson and join the French contingent at the club with the likes of Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel.

football.london reported earlier this month that Monaco were preparing for Akliouche's potential departure either this month or in the summer by looking for replacements. They are set to sign Simon Adingra from Sunderland and although the Ivory Coast winger plays mainly on the left, he can also do a job on the right.

However, those inside both Tottenham and Monaco have at this point ruled out the chances of Akliouche joining Spurs today.

Jhon Duran has been offered here, there and everywhere to Premier League teams in recent weeks, but a late move to Spurs has been dismissed by those within the club as has one for Al-Ittihad winger Moussa Diaby or free agent Raheem Sterling.

Spurs do have a number of strikers at the moment in Solanke, Randal Kolo Muani and Tel, with Richarlison set to return from his hamstring injury in the next couple of weeks. It is the winger and playmaker slots where Frank is particularly short.

In terms of younger strikers, football.london understands that Mason Melia will remain around the first team set-up while playing occasionally for the U21s rather than heading out on loan as he looks to return soon from the minor back issue he arrived from St Patrick's Athletic with.

Dane Scarlett has left on loan for Hibernian and Spurs are believed to be rivalling Arsenal to try to sign another 18-year-old striker in James Wilson from Hearts, who has made 45 senior appearances but would be involved in the U21s set-up for now if he were to join Tottenham.

Frank and the Tottenham fans want senior arrivals though and the Dane wants only those of the required quality.

He admitted ahead of the City draw that while he does not want permanent stop-gap signings, loan moves are not out of the question to plug the gaps in his squad. The club will be wary of having a huge bloated squad when all the long-term injury absentees in April and May and a temporary loan move helps that situation, albeit not with those messy Champions League squad places with only three changes able to be made.

Time is running out though to bring in a new face or two to help Frank's attack.