Tottenham Hotspur surprised many by swooping for Timo Werner this month, with the striker joining on loan from RB Leipzig on Tuesday.

Still only 27, Werner has experience of the Premier League from his time at Chelsea, which is widely seen as an unsuccessful spell despite him helping the Blues to Champions League glory during his Stamford Bridge stint.

Tottenham have the option to make Werner's loan deal permanent at the end of the season too - a possibility which may well depend on how he performs during the second half of the season.

With Harry Kane now long gone and no direct replacement brought in last summer, Spurs will be expecting the Germany international to add another goal threat to a front line which also includes Son Heung-min, Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski, amongst others.

But will he be a success in North London, following a largely underwhelming stint in the west of the capital? Here, the Sports Mole team discuss whether Werner's arrival will prove to be a good piece of business by Spurs.

Barney Corkhill, Editor

This is certainly an intriguing transfer, and one we weren't necessarily expecting this window - there were plenty of rumours that Premier League clubs were interested in Werner, but Spurs seemed a long way from the top of that list initially.

Tottenham are by no means lacking attacking threat so far this season - they are the fourth-highest scorers in the division, and have only netted one goal fewer than the top two, so that is not where their main problems have come this term.

However, you can never have too much firepower, and with Son heading off to the Asian Cup for the next month or so, any extra goals in the team will be gratefully welcomed.

I don't think you can go too far wrong with a loan deal like this one; Werner knows the league, is a proven goalscorer, is versatile and, while his Chelsea spell is widely seen as a flop, I don't think it was quite as bad as most people remember.

He hasn't had much football this year, so it remains to be seen if he can work his way into Ange Postecoglou's starting lineup on a regular basis, but if it doesn't work out then they can bid him farewell at the end of the season, and if it does work out then Spurs have a very good player on their hands.

I would be surprised if he suddenly takes the Premier League by storm, but I don't see much of a downside to the deal for Tottenham, or indeed for Werner.

Darren Plant, Senior Reporter

Timo Werner does not get the respect that he warrants from his time at Chelsea. For a guy who did not always start and sometimes played out wide, 44 goals and assists from 89 appearances is an excellent return.

A few missed chances here and there have led to the misconception that he was a flop. This is a guy who also won a Champions League and scored eight times in 17 appearances in the competition.

Such views put this transfer in the spotlight when, in fact, it is a shrewd piece of business from Spurs and should be applauded, not doubted. Werner's reduced game time during the first half of 2023-24 may lead to him requiring time to get up to speed but, on the assumption that Spurs activate a buy clause, it should prove to be a quality addition in the long term.

Werner's versatile enough to play several roles under an attack-minded coach such as Postecoglou and motivated to earn a spot in Germany's Euro 2024 squad and reaffirm that he has the qualities to be one of the most productive forwards in Europe. This is a win-win for all parties.

Jonathan O'Shea, Reporter

While unlikely to ever replicate his purple patch during the 2019-20 season, in which he scored 28 goals from 34 Bundesliga appearances, Werner offers Tottenham another forward option at a crucial point of their Premier League campaign.

Post-Kane, Spurs are set up to score from all angles without relying on one single striker. Motivated by earning a place in Germany's home Euros, Werner is also familiar with English football and could settle in quickly, laying on his fair share of chances and chipping in with a few valuable goals.

If it all works out well, both parties may decide to make his stay more permanent - there's little to lose on either side.

Joel Lefevre, Reporter

Personally, I believe the expectations for Timo Werner at Chelsea were unrealistic. He was overpaid as are many when they come to the Blues and thus the expectation was for him to be an instant superstar.

While Spurs are a big club like Chelsea I think Werner is better suited to Tottenham and their style of play. Ange Postecoglou has a habit of rebalancing players that have lost their equilibrium, while his attacking vision should fit nicely with Werner's hard work and pace.

Postecoglou's style emphasises the strengths of players and minimises their weaknesses, something which has seen the likes of Richarlison, Pedro Porro and Giovani Lo Celso improve tremendously this season. There's no reason to suggest Werner can't rediscover the form which made him such a hot commodity a few years ago.

He also seems to have a different attitude this time around, expressing excitement to have the whole crowd behind you when you score. That kind of confidence wasn't evident during his Premier League stint at Chelsea and I think it'll serve him well at Spurs down the stretch of the season.

Anthony Brown, Reporter

Timo Werner to Spurs makes sense for the player and club: a short-term deal for someone with a point to prove after a mixed-to-underwhelming spell at Chelsea — and a disappointing return to RB Leipzig to boot — and a body in attack for Ange Postecoglou's men.

The environment at Chelsea was unhelpful at times, and the Germany international theoretically should thrive in the Spurs manager's coherent system and relaxed atmosphere in North London.

Devesh Jaganath, Reporter

While a large faction of Spurs fans are not sold on the idea of Timo Werner's arrival at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this year, the more I look at the deal, the more I feel that it makes perfect sense for the Lilywhites.

First off, Spurs need reinforcements with Heung-min Son, Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr away on international duty. James Maddison is still a few weeks away from a return from injury, Ivan Perisic is likely to miss the remainder of the season, while Giovani Lo Celso and Alejo Veliz's fitness is touch-and-go at the moment.

Secondly, there is very little financial risk in the decision since there is no obligation to buy the player in place and with a £15m option to buy clause, it could be an absolute steal if the German international takes off this season. Werner's adaptability to play across the front line in the absence of several attacking players and relatively affordable price tag, therefore, makes a lot of sense to me.

Not to mention, on a personal level, the 27-year-old will feel that he has unfinished business in England and will likely have a list of people that he wants to prove wrong, which is not necessarily the worst attitude to join a team with when you have limited time to make an impression.