RISK-FREE TIMO TICKS THE RIGHT BOXES FOR CANNY TOTTENHAM

NO signing is ever entirely risk-free, but in landing Timo Werner on a six-month deal from RB Leipzig, Tottenham have secured a deal with no obvious downsides.

- Dan Kilpatrick

Werner will join Spurs on loan until the end of the season with a point to prove and both a permanent move and a place in Germany's European Championship squad on the line.

He will provide much-needed cover and competition in Ange Postecoglou's stretched squad, which will be without Ivan Perisic for the remainder of the season and captain Heung-min Son until likely mid-February, assuming South Korea go deep at the Asian Cup.

If Werner does well and gets back to somewhere near the player of his first spell at Leipzig, Spurs have an option to sign him permanently for around €15-20million (£13-17m) in the summer a snip in today's market.

Chelsea paid three times that amount to sign Werner from Leipzig in 2020, while Liverpool were also competing for his signature.

If Werner fails to make a real impression back in London, however, he can be returned to Leipzig at the end of the season, allowing Spurs to pursue other options in a far more favourable landscape for big transfers.

Even if Werner is underwhelming, he is likely to be a more effective option from the bench than Bryan Gil or youngster Jamie Donley for the rest of the campaign.