Tottenham made a late push in the January transfer window to reinforce their squad amid a growing injury crisis, but their efforts to sign Santiago Gimenez ultimately ended in disappointment.
With attacking reinforcements a top priority, Spurs set their sights on Gimenez, who had been a long-term target for the club. However, despite making a strong approach, Tottenham failed to convince the Mexican striker to make the move to North London.
Tottenham’s pursuit of Santiago Gimenez ends in disappointment
According to Calciomercato’s Daniele Longo, the 23-year-old forward had already committed to joining AC Milan, having given his word to Milan advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic. His agent, Rafaela Pimenta, reportedly pushed hard for the move, leaving Tottenham with no choice but to shift their focus elsewhere.
The Mexian’s rise to prominence has been nothing short of impressive. After starting his professional career with Cruz Azul in Liga MX, where he won the league title in 2021, he made the leap to European football with Feyenoord in 2022. His debut season saw him help the Dutch club secure the Eredivisie title while scoring 15 goals in 32 matches.
The following season, Gimenez continued to shine, netting 23 league goals and setting a new Eredivisie calendar-year scoring record with 31 goals in 2023. In his 105 appearances for the club, he has contributed with 65 goals and 14 assists across all competitions.
His standout performances earned him a big-money move to AC Milan earlier this month, where he made an immediate impact with two goals and an assist in 4 games.
Gimenez wasn’t the only striker Spurs missed out on. They also made a strong effort to land PSG’s Randal Kolo Muani earlier in the transfer window, with chairman Daniel Levy personally flying to France to negotiate a deal. Tottenham even had a loan agreement in place, but the French forward rejected the move in favor of joining Juventus instead.
Despite missing out on their top targets, Spurs did manage to bring in Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel on loan until the end of the season, with an option to buy.
The 19-year-old French forward is regarded as one of Europe’s most promising young attackers, and Tottenham will be hoping he can help fill the attacking void as they look to salvage their season.
