Tottenham Hotspurâs triumph in the Europa League last season made them one of the least impressive Champions League teams in recent memory. However, qualifying for Europeâs Big Dance allowed them to retool (or heck, buy out a whole section of their local hardware store) in the summer transfer market.
The transition has not been the smoothest. New coach Thomas Frank has occasionally looked overmatched, and Spurs are currently sitting 10th in the Premier League table after picking up a solitary point in their last four matches.
On the other hand, 10th looks pretty good to their supporters after their 17th-place finish last season, and they are performing respectably in the Champions League. That 4-0 destruction of Copenhagen, even after Brennan Johnsonâs red card, is the sort of result that a contending English team should expect.
Daniel Levy looks like a genius for leaving Tottenham with this parting gift
A major reason for that was a blatantly obvious move in the transfer market, orchestrated by the man who left Tottenham, Daniel Levy.
Randal Kolo Muani suffered through a disappointing first season with Paris St.-Germain in 2023-24, and the French giants eagerly loaned him out to Juventus last season, where the Frenchman scored eight goals in 16 Serie A matches. That decent haul was still not enough to crack PSGâs loaded starting lineup, and so the Champions League holders made him available for loan again this season.
Spurs snapped up a player whose flashy talent couldnât drum up much demand, and now he has transformed the look of their offense. While Kolo Muani is big and strong enough to score with his head on crosses, his main value is as a speed threat up front to complement the physical play of Richarlison.
This allows Tottenham to start matches with two strikers, which gives opposing defenses a look that they havenât seen since the partnership of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. The combination of power and speed that Kolo Muani and his Brazilian teammate offer is a time-tested way to give all manner of defenses trouble. The fact that heâs playing with a broken jaw should also answer any questions about his toughness.
Of course, this combination isnât foolproof, as witnessed by Spursâ ineffectual 2-1 home defeat to Fulham over the weekend. However, Kolo Muani registered an assist in the win over Copenhagen, and the two goals he scored against his parent club in a 5-3 defeat in Paris had to feel good. If Kolo Muani can continue to improve his chemistry with his fellow Spurs attackers and not lose his eye for goal, it will portend better days for the Tottenham faithful as this season moves on.