Tottenham whiff again as midfield target signs contract extension

It's turning out to be a bad day in Tottenham transfer-land. Just after receiving word that Emmanuel Adebayor is returning to London after a busted loan deal with Aston Villa, Everton have announced via Twitter they have extended the contract of midfielder James McCarthy.

pic.twitter.com/dTECKeaXMT

— Everton (@Everton) August 6, 2015

Oh God, look at that -- he's buzzing! He could've been buzzing with Harry Kane, and now he'll be buzzing along in the mid-table with Roberto Martinez! The writing staff (and the commentariat) was split on McCarthy, but he was a defensively-minded central midfielder with Premier League experience who was pretty good and would've been a decent enough signing. Considering some of the other options available, I'm now starting to get worried.

With less than a month to go until the transfer window closes, Tottenham are starting to run out of central midfield options. Between missing out on Schneiderlin, whiffing on McCarthy, and the Sven Bender rumors disappating, it's starting to look more and more like Spurs might be rolling with Dier and Alli in the pivot rather than bolstering their ranks. Which feels like a major missed opportunity.

There's still time for Poche, Levy, and Mitchell to pull a rabbit out of their hat, but I'm getting the feeling like it could end up being a Daniel Levy deadline day special.