09 January 2024 , 19:37
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Tottenham have confirmed their first signing of the January transfer window with the addition of Timo Werner on loan from RB Leipzig - and he'll wear the No.16 shirt.
Former Chelsea star Werner has penned an initial six-month deal, and it includes the option to make the transfer permanent in the summer. Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou gave the green light to sign the 27-year-old with captain Son Heung-min set to miss the next month while at the Asian Cup with South Korea.
Werner returns to the Premier League with unfinished business after he endured a mixed spell at Chelsea, scoring 23 times in 89 appearances after a £54million move. The Germany international did play a role in the Blues’ Champions League success in 2021.
Werner left Chelsea two years ago to return to his former club Leipzig in a £25m switch and while he scored 16 times last season, opportunities have been limited under manager Marco Rose this term with only four starts in all competitions. He is in line to make his Tottenham debut in this weekend’s away fixture at Manchester United.
While Werner boasts an inconsistent record over the past few seasons, his versatility will provide greater options in attack for Postecoglou with the ex-Stuttgart forward able to play in a central role or on either wing.
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Before the move was confirmed, Graeme Souness slammed the signing and claimed the ex-Chelsea man is a “stocking filler”. “He needs five opportunities to score a goal, and he had one good season prior to coming here,” Souness said on talkSPORT. “He found it difficult to get goals and I would say nothing’s changed, he’s gone back to Leipzig and this season played eight [Bundesliga] games and scored two goals.
“He’s a stocking filler, he’s another body. I don’t think he’ll do very well, but having said that, he’s the kind of player that will get three or four chances every game because he’s rapid and gets himself in the right place.
The German striker struggled in his previous spell in England with Chelsea (Alex Morton/Tottenham Hotspur F.C./REX/Shutterstock)"He’s a player who one year could get 30 goals, and the next five or six, so he could have the most incredible purple patch and then Spurs will have to sign him.
“[ Liverpool forward Darwin] Nunez falls into that category where he needs too many chances to score a goal, but that may change as he’s a young man. Werner, I don’t see that changing, but he could have a purple patch.”
Tottenham are also chasing the signature of Genoa’s Radu Dragusin. Spurs stepped up talks with the Serie A club last week but face competition from Bayern Munich in their efforts to conclude a deal for the Romania centre-back before Sunday’s trip to Old Trafford. Meanwhile, Djed Spence could head in the other direction after being offered to Genoa on a six-month loan.