Tottenham Hotspur need a talisman. Mohammed Kudus is a fleet-footed winger, adding a dimension to the attack, but he's not of a level with Harry Kane, or Heung-min Son.
Likewise, Xavi Simons has the potential to become a leading man down N17, but he's raw and inexperienced.
Kane hasn't really been replaced since leaving Spurs for Bayern Munich in 2023, with Dominic Solanke's injury troubles negating his stature as one of the Premier League's most dangerous forwards. Richarlison is consistent only in his inconsistency.
Tottenham need a talisman, and that looks to be high on ENIC Group and Thomas Frank's agenda going into the January transfer window.
Why Spurs need a Kane-esque signing
Kane's departure was always going to knock Tottenham out of kilter, but perhaps it's being more keenly felt now that Son has left too. There simply isn't enough impetus and bite in the final third, and Frank needs to rectify that swiftly as his side languish in 11th place.
However, Johan Lange and Fabio Paratici have been entrusted with funds this winter, and signings are expected.
None would be more impactful than Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo, who is being chased by a snapping pack of Premier League giants, Liverpool and Manchester City at the front.
However, TEAMtalk have confirmed that the Lilywhites are ready to offer the Ghana international, 25, a wage bill-shattering salary to convince him to head down N17, having attempted to sign him before being rebuffed during the summer.
Why Semenyo could become Spurs' talisman
Kane scored many goals against many different Premier League opponents. Alan Shearer is the only man to have scored more.
Semenyo is not an out-and-out centre-forward on the same prolific level as the England captain, but he does have a unique and devastating skillset that could hit a new level in Frank's Tottenham team.
This season, the two-sided winger has scored seven goals and supplied three assists in the Premier League, with his consistency leading teammate Justin Kluivert to call him "world-class".
Semenyo's brilliance lies not in his prolific success but in his ceaseless work rate. He just runs and runs and runs. As per Sofascore, the £75k-per-week talent has completed 1.6 dribbles and averaged 6.6 successful duels per game. Analyst Ben Mattinson has described him as a "workhorse off the ball", and that's exactly what Spurs need to return to form.
He ranks among the top 6% of positional peers in the Premier League this season for goals and the top 12% for ball recoveries per 90 (via FBref), further underscoring his dynamism.
A ball recovery is defined by the number of loose balls recovered by a player.
This is not Kudus, zipping this way and that with startling energy, but an economical winger who conserves his energy and unleashes it at an opportune moment.
There is a quiet intelligence to Semenyo that suggests he could step into Kane's boots and lead this group of players.
After all, there's a reason all the finest teams in the division want the dynamic winger, who is only getting better and better with each passing season in the Premier League.
It's not going to be an easy deal to pull off, but Tottenham have the financial structures erected to pull off a marquee mid-season deal, and it really would add to Frank's frontline a Kane-esque star.