Spurs will be on the hunt for a new striker in January
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Tottenham are expected to be in the market for attacking reinforcements in January, as they look to rejuvenate their push for Champions League qualification this season.
A number of attacking options have been touted as potential signings, including England international Ivan Toney, but as it stands the name that seems to be at the top of Thomas Frank’s list is Samu Aghehowa of FC Porto, according to TEAMtalk.
Tottenham aren’t the first English giant to be linked with the promising Spain international. Chelsea went close to signing him in the summer of 2024 before instead turning their attention to Joao Felix once discussions broke down, while the likes of Newcastle and Manchester United were also mentioned as potential suitors during their respective scrambles for strikers.
Aston Villa, after losing Jhon Duran nearly 12 months ago, could also be in the fray. They are yet to see Ollie Watkins at his best and could be in the market for further competition in that area.
Why Tottenham are interested in Samu Aghehowa
Tottenham are still in the early stages of their rebuild under Frank after finishing 17th in the division last season, as Ange Postecoglu put all his eggs in the Europa League basket - Spurs won the competition after edging the final against Manchester United, but paid the price of humiliation in the Premier League, which ultimately cost Postecoglu his job.
Almost all of Tottenham’s attacking options, with the exception of Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons, were lined up well before Frank entered the building and were either identified by Postecoglou before him or his predecessor, Antonio Conte.
Ideally, Frank would like to make his mark on the club with a signing so he can continue to build a Spurs team in his image. He’s hardly seen Dominic Solanke due to injury, doesn’t seem convinced by Mathys Tel as a forward and instead shifts him onto the wing - this means Richarilson and Randal Kolo Muani are often the two competing for a striking role.
Richarlison, who has scored a respectable five goals, has been linked with a January move away. Whereas, Kolo Muani only arrived on loan and for the most part has struggled for fitness. Aghehowa is 21-years-old, 6ft 4”, is great in the air, has fantastic sprint speed to run in behind defenders and is regarded as one of the best young strikers in world football.
Based on his 27 goals across all competitions in his debut campaign in Portugal, he has many of the characteristics required to potentially fill that Harry Kane hole in the squad, in terms of consistent scoring.
What will Tottenham need to do to buy Samu Aghehowa
Aghehowa is one of the most in-demand strikers on the planet, at a time where there is a deficit of top strikers in the Premier League.
FC Porto are keen to keep their talisman up top to boost their own chances of achieving silverware, but know there could be a potential window of opportunity to capitalise on Premier League interest as their rivals Benfica have in the past with sales such as Darwin Nunez to Liverpool and Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea for inflated fees.
Report suggest the Portuguese giants are looking for somewhere in the region of 80 million euros (£70m) for the Spaniard, which means Spurs would need to spend a club-record amount to prise him away from Estádio do Dragão. This figure could soar even higher if, say, a team like Man United or Aston Villa decided to join in the bidding war. This threat leaves Tottenham in a position where they may need to get creative to get what they want.
While he’s not there most valuable player at present, Yves Bissouma could act as a handy makeweight in the deal. The Mali international hasn’t yet kicked a ball for the Lilywhites under Frank and looks almost destined to run out his contract, having last played in the Europa League final.
The former Brighton man isn’t worth anywhere near the same amount as Aghehowa, but has still got qualities that would benefit Porto. He’s a 46-time international, a Europa League winner, has just under 200 matches of Premier League experience and is a robust workman of a midfielder. He’s set to leave without Spurs making a penny regardless, so it could make sense for Tottenham to offer around £60m, with Bissouma as part of the deal to try and entice Porto into a potential deal.
That way Porto would get a large portion of their valuation, a significant profit on what they paid Atletico Madrid, and another experienced name to join the midfield and compete with Gabri Veiga, Alan Varela and others. Whether sporting director Andre Villas Boas, formerly of Spurs, would do business with his old employers, however, remains to be seen.