Tottenham Hotspur have made an early start to their plans for next season, having agreed a deal to sign Kevin Wimmer from FC Koln.
Despite defeat to Chelsea in the League Cup final earlier this month and the loss at Old Trafford last weekend which saw them lose ground in the Premier League, it has been an encouraging debut season for Mauricio Pochettino. There is a consensus that Spurs are progressing under the Argentine, who arrived from Southampton last summer.
The 43-year-old is still optimistic he can lead the Londoners into the UEFA Champions League next season, and will hope rivals Liverpool and Manchester United can take points off each other when they meet on Sunday. Even if they finish outside of the top four Tottenham will undoubtedly stand by Pochettino, who is under contract until 2019.
He will also be given cash to further improve his squad ahead of next season, and this building work has already begun with a deal agreed to sign Wimmer. Spurs have agreed a £4.3million fee with FC Koln for the Austria international, who has emerged as a key player for the German club since last season and has now made 50 Bundesliga appearances.
The 22-year-old, who has nine caps for his country, is an ideal addition for the White Hart Lane club who are eager to build a young squad brimming with talent. As well as the progress of youth products Harry Kane, Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb this term, they have recently signed Eric Dier and DeAndre Yedlin, both 21, and 18-year-old Dele Alli.
Wimmer’s arrival will force one of Pochettino’s existing central defensive options through the exit door, and the likely casualty will be Younes Kaboul. Surprisingly named club captain by the Argentine in the summer, the France international has fallen out of favour as the season has progressed and he has made just 11 appearances in the Premier League. Vlad Chiriches, the Romanian international, also appears to be on borrowed time in the capital.
