Adam Smith ends Tottenham return talk by signing new four-year Bournemouth deal

Adam Smith has committed his future to Bournemouth, putting an end to any lingering speculation regarding a potential return to Tottenham Hotspur. As announced on Tuesday (25 July), the reliable right-back is now under contract on the south coast until the summer of 2021 after agreeing another new four-year deal.

Smith appeared in all but two of the Cherries' 38 Premier League matches last term as Eddie Howe steered the club to their maiden top-half finish. Several outlets including The Express later reported that he was being targeted by Mauricio Pochettino as a possible replacement for Kyle Walker, who completed his £50m ($65.2m) switch to Manchester City earlier this month.

The 26-year-old, a former regular at England Under-21 level, graduated from Spurs' academy as a youngster and joined the Cherries on a permanent deal in January 2014 having previously spent the 2010-11 campaign on loan at the Vitality Stadium.

However, talk of a potential reunion can now be put to bed after confirmation that Smith has been handed another new deal just 14 months after signing his last one.

"I'm delighted," Smith, who has made 113 appearances for Bournemouth to date, told the club's official website. "I'm settled in the area and get along really well with the lads. There is nowhere else I want to be at this moment. Everything is going well for me both on and off the pitch and I'm looking forward to that continuing."

Tottenham are the only Premier League club still yet to make a signing during the current transfer window, with Walker, Clinton Njie, Federico Fazio and Nabil Bentaleb all sold and Pau Lopez returning to Espanyol following the end of his loan deal.

While Pochettino claims to have faith in his current squad and youth players as Spurs cultivate a philosophy that is in contrast to that of their big-spending title rivals, the addition of a new right-back before the deadline to challenge the newly tied-down Kieran Trippier seems a must.

Toljan available for bargain price?

Porto's Ricardo Pereira has been linked with a move to Tottenham, while 20-year-old Kyle Walker-Peters is also eager to seize his opportunity.

The latest reports from the Evening Standard suggest that another prominent target, Hoffenheim's Jeremy Toljan, could be available for a low fee of just £3.1m as he enters the final year of his contract at Wirsol Rhein-Neckar-Arena. Benfica are also believed to be interested in the German Olympic silver medal winner.

"If Tottenham come in and offer to treble Toljan's salary, you cannot say: 'London is an unattractive city or Tottenham are a bad club.' This is all very positive, and then young people think about it," said Hoffenheim director of football Alex Rosen.