Opinion: Grading Tottenham Hotspur's last 10 loan signings

Gareth Bale wearing the number 9 shirt was a familiar sight on his return to Tottenham on loan in 2020/21

With the summer of 2026 being an obvious exception, Tottenham Hotspur have developed a reputation for being low spenders in the transfer market.

Former chairman Daniel Levy had built up an infamous reputation of being one of the most money-strict chairmen in the league – reluctant to spend funds on players, or constantly offering low, sometimes insulting, bids for players that would have undoubtedly made Spurs a better team.

Given Levy’s reputation, Spurs ended up signing several loan players – some were unequivocal failures, while others showed glimpses of success. Let’s have a look at the last 10 and grade how they got on in North London…

(This list does not include signings from the summer of 2026, as it is too early to grade the likes of Omar Marmoush and Mykhaylo Mudryk, and does not include players who made their loan moves permanent.)

João Palhinha – 8/10

Where would Tottenham be without João Palhinha? The man who scored the goal to keep Tottenham in the Premier League against Everton in May, and also scored at Molineux in April to give them their first Premier League win of the calendar year, was one of the few shining lights in an otherwise dismal campaign last season.

The tough-tackling midfielder scored seven times in all competitions, incredibly making him their second-top goalscorer, before returning to parent club Bayern after Spurs decided against keeping him around.

 

Randal Kolo Muani – 2/10

A goal at home to Arsenal and a decent Champions League record is the only reason Randal Kolo Muani doesn’t score any lower than 2/10.

He should have been the main striker for the year, having come with a decent reputation of scoring goals in France, Germany and Italy, but looked out of his depth in the league – goal against Arsenal aside.

Four Champions League goals, including a brace against Atletico, is not to be sniffed at, which begs the question, why couldn’t he do it in the Premier League?

 

Timo Werner – 3/10

It seemed strange at the time, and it still seems strange now.

Timo Werner arrived back in England from RB Leipzig having failed to impress after his big-money move to Chelsea in 2020, and arguably performed even worse during his 18 months in N17.

He started well, scoring in consecutive games against Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, but he only scored once after that, in the League Cup.

 

Arnaut Danjuma – 4/10

Another signing which seemed strange at the time, when Spurs beat Everton to his loan signing, Arnaut Danjuma didn’t have the best time at Spurs in his six months at the club but still scored twice.

He scored on his debut, in the FA Cup against Preston, before bagging in the league at home to former club Bournemouth. He didn’t perform badly, but it was understandable that Spurs decided against making his loan move permanent.

 

Clément Lenglet – 4/10

Another signing that really should have come good, but didn’t.

Signed by Antonio Conte in the summer of 2022, Clément Lenglet was part of a shaky Spurs defence that conceded the most goals of any Tottenham side in the Premier League since 1993, and was part of the backline that conceded five times in 20 minutes against Newcastle.

He did bag a vital goal against Marseille in the Champions League, though, meaning he doesn’t drop any lower than 4/10.

 

 

Pierluigi Gollini – 2/10

By all accounts a nice guy off the pitch, but this was a pretty poor loan spell.

The first signing of Nuno Espirito Santo’s ill-fated tenure, Pierluigi Gollini was brought in to compete with Hugo Lloris for the Number 1 goalkeeper spot, but he never played a league game and started defeats to Paços de Ferreira and NŠ Mura. Not great.

 

Gareth Bale – 8/10

“He was born to play for Spurs,” chanted the crowd waiting outside Hotspur Way as Gareth Bale completed his medical which sealed his return to Spurs in 2020 on a season-long loan.

The Welshman had a lot to live up to from his first spell, and started slowly due to fitness issues, but 16 goals in 34 matches, including a hat-trick against Sheffield United, is not too bad at all.

 

Carlos Vinicius – 5/10

A fairly useful cup striker, or off the bench in the league, Carlos Vinicius was never going to live up to the standards of Harry Kane, but banged in the odd goal during his one season in N17.

Ten goals (though three of them came against eighth-tier Marine), including one on his only Premier League start at Villa Park, Vinicius didn’t set the world alight, but was a useful option.

 

Gedson Fernandes – 1/10

A disastrous move for all involved. Gedson Fernandes was another signing from Benfica who came with a lot of hype – the youngster was a regular for the Portuguese giants in the Champions League and had a lot of potential.

But he played just seven times, looking out of his depth during every appearance, and nearly killed the Marine AFC social media manager with a wayward shot during an FA Cup tie in 2021.

 

Pau Lopez – 0/10

£1m loan fee for a goalkeeper who never played a game. Nothing more needs to be said.