Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge believes Tottenham Hotspur should have targeted a creative midfielder on transfer deadline day.

Nuno Espirito Santo, who was appointed as Spurs' head coach following a lengthy managerial search in June, welcomed five fresh faces to north London during the transfer window.

Pierluigi Gollini and Cristian Romero made the move from Italian outfit Atalanta, while Bryan Gil joined from Sevilla with Erik Lamela moving in the opposite direction.

Highly-rated teenager Pape Matar Sarr has been loaned straight back to Metz for the rest of the season after completing a switch to Spurs and Emerson Royal became the final signing as a £25.7million deal was agreed with Barcelona on deadline day.

But Nuno failed in his attempts to be reunited with Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore as Spurs were unwilling to meet his £45million valuation late in the window.

Bridge feels the north Londoners have failed to ever replace Christian Eriksen, who left the club for Serie A giants Inter Milan in January 2020, and got their priorities wrong in the transfer market.

He told Football FanCast: "Tottenham are desperate for a creative midfielder. It's just so apparent. They needed someone who has got good ball retention and can pick a pass.

"It's all well and good having pacy runners and the drive and work rate of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, but it needs a little bit more guile.

"I look at Tottenham when they were really good and the two people I talk about are Mousa Dembele and Christian Eriksen. Tottenham would keep the ball for 70 per cent of the possession but now they are struggling to hold onto the ball."