Spurs have managed to find the back of the net this season with goals coming from all over the pitch, however, some suggest that they are looking to sign a top-class number nine to fill the void left in the wake of a departed Tottenham legend.
According to a report from Football Insider, Tottenham “are laying the groundwork to sign a marquee number nine” this upcoming transfer window in order to hopefully replace some of the talent which left the club with Harry Kane’s move to Bayern Munich in 2023.
Spurs have managed to get by this season without their lead talisman, getting major contributions in league action from Son Heung-min (19 G/A), Richarlison (13 G/A), and James Maddison (10 G/A). Brennan Johnson has also been a helpful and rapidly improving new signing (9 G/A), and Dejan Kulusevski’s efforts should not be ignored (8 G/A).
However, it’s fair to assume that fans – and probably Ange Postecoglou – have been wondering about the club’s future plans for signing someone that can lead the front-line with consistent performances. Such a player would need to have experience at the highest level and stats to show for it; In other words, everyone is wondering how serious Spurs are about signing a ready-made striker.
Well, according to Football Insider, they’re pretty serious. While the reports don’t do much in the way of narrowing down which signings Tottenham will be considering, we can make some well-educated assumptions. Here are three potential signings Spurs could make to fill their needs.
Ivan Toney
Ivan Toney, for one, would be a reasonable guess for who Spurs may try to pluck first in the summer transfer window. With 74 appearances in the Prem for Brentford, and 45 G/A to show for it, Toney is arguably one of the best options on the market. With the player’s contract set to expire in 2025, it’s fair to assume that he’ll be considering a move this summer, as will his current club, that is, if they wish to garner a lucrative transfer fee.
The 27-year-old Englishman has already scored four goals in the eight appearances he’s made since returning from his ban on play. Most onlookers would assume that he’ll continue that run of form, meaning there’s a strong chance the striker will continue to grab the attention of Europe’s top clubs. It could be a hard signing to win, but considering the exorbitant prices of other players on the market, Toney may be a less expensive buy if Brentford are desperate to sell the player before his contract is up.
Dusan Vlahovic
While untested in England’s top flight, Juventus’ 24-year-old goalscorer has made a splash in Serie A over the past few years, gathering 47 G/A across 89 league appearances. Those numbers, however, should be contextualized by the fact that the Serbian footballer has another 57 G/A to his name from his time at rival Italian club Fiorentina.
While likely to be no less expensive than Toney, and similarly competitive to acquire with previous links to Arsenal amongst other clubs, Vlahovic would surely meet the criteria that Tottenham seem to be on the hunt for.
Loïs Openda
Though a less experienced player than the previous two, RB Leipzig’s Loïs Openda is a goalscoring machine who Tottenham have previously been linked with amid Manchester United interest.
In 22/23 the Belgian footballer netted 21 goals in 38 games for French-side Lens during Ligue 1 action. Now, after making the move to the Bundesliga, the 24-year-old has been off to a quick start, maintaining his productive output with 17 league goals in 24 matches.
Openda is young and clearly capable of competing across multiple top leagues, and it could be interesting to see how he might get on if he were to make yet another switch.
