It's rather obvious at this late stage that Tottenham Hotspur will not be adding Conor Gallagher to their ranks this week, even if chairman Daniel Levy succeeds in shipping Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on.
Firstly, the Danish midfielder has rejected a move to French strugglers Lyon and there are claims that Chelsea could demand £80m for Gallagher's sale, and to put it plainly, that's not likely to work out.
Nonetheless, Ange Postecoglou's side have been incisive this month and welcomed centre-back Radu Dragusin and dynamic forward Timo Werner to the fold; a midfielder remains coveted but Spurs will only pounce if the right move materialises.
Spurs eyeing last-gasp swoop for midfielder
Gallagher remains a top target for Tottenham but, as stated, is probably out of reach, and given that Kalvin Phillips has now completed a loan move to West Ham United, Spurs' options are somewhat limited.
That said, Atalanta midfielder Ederson would be a stellar signing and, according to Napoli Magazine, Tottenham remain interested and will seek to overcome Juventus in the pursuit of the Brazilian.
It would take a fee of roughly £35m to convince the Serie A side to part with their player and Tottenham must now choose whether to lodge such an offer this week.
Ederson's style of play
It's worth remembering that this deal would only be completed if Hojbjerg does leave the London club in the coming days, freeing up room and funds to enforce such a transfer.
But given Ederson's energy and intent in the centre of the park, this would almost certainly be an upgrade, with the 24-year-old posting five goals from 21 matches in Serie A this term, as per Sofascore, also completing 84% of his passes, succeeding with 67% of his dribbles, winning 58% of his duels and averaging 2.6 tackles and 5.7 ball recoveries per game.
# Tackling
# Dribbling
# Interceptions
# Concentration
# Aerial duels
Source: WhoScored
As per FBref, the £42k-per-week ace ranks among the top 17% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 16% for successful take-ons, the top 15% for interceptions and the top 4% for blocks per 90, with the stats-led site coincidentally listing Gallagher as a comparable player – so the profile fits Postecoglou's system for sure.
Hailed for his "versatile" nature by South American football expert Tim Vickery, Ederson is almost a ubiquitous figure in midfield for Atalanta and offers the skill set to slot in alongside the likes of Yves Bissouma and James Maddison at Tottenham.
Imagine Ederson & James Maddison
Maddison, in particular, could find a delightful new partnership with Ederson, whose penetrative presence and relentless defensive approach blend to provide his central teammates with security in their craft.
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Returning from an ankle injury that ruled him out for two months against Manchester City in the FA Cup last weekend, Maddison's return is a huge boost for Postecoglou as he looks to secure Champions League qualification this season.
The England international signed from Leicester City for £40m in the summer and impressed from the off, bagging two assists on his Lilywhites debut against Brentford and earning August's Premier League Player of the Month.
Given that Maddison ranks among the top 4% of positional peers for assists, the top 1% for shot-creating actions and the top 6% for progressive passes per 90, it's fair to say that he's one of the elite playmakers in the European game and Ederson, who cuts into openings in the danger area, could find a steady stream of support with a transfer.
While Gallagher is clearly the coveted signature down N17, it's just not going to happen this month unless Chelsea agree to lower their exorbitant price tag, and Ederson would be the perfect alternative, capable of making a real mark under Postecoglou's leadership.