Tottenham Hotspur’s chances of signing a 204-goal striker in the January transfer window have been rated, as Thomas Frank continues to be frustrated by a lack of productivity from the No.9 position.
Spurs’ central strikers have accounted for just four of their 25 goals in all competitions this season, with centre-back Micky van de Ven the club’s top scorer with five.
In terms of how that breaks down, Richarlison has netted three times, although two of those came on the opening weekend of the campaign, while Mathys Tel has scored once. Loan signing Randal Kolo Muani has yet to find the back of the net but has spent time on the sidelines, as has Dominic Solanke, whose injury issues continue to blight his time in north London.
It’s been widely speculated that Tottenham could move for a new central striker in January, due to the lack of productivity from the likes of Richarlison, Tel and Kolo Muani so far. That’s despite the fact that the addition of another left-winger and a centre-back are arguably more pressing needs.
Former Brentford frontman Ivan Toney and Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic are two names continually being linked with a move to Spurs, with TEAMtalk’s Dean Jones previously giving his thoughts on Toney linking up with his ex-Bees boss Frank again.
However, Football Insider‘s Pete O’Rourke has now given a fresh update on Tottenham’s chances of luring Toney away from Saudi Arabia in the new year.
Spurs fans were given hope that the England international could be on his way to north London after Frank opened the door to a reunion, but O’Rourke has sadly sided with Jones when it comes to the Dane getting that reunion with the Al-Ahli forward any time soon.
When asked about the speculation over Toney’s future, O’Rourke said: “I think Toney‘s quite happy with life out there as well in the Middle East. He’s been a big success for Al-Ahli, 40 goals and eight assists in 58 appearances, that’s pretty good going by anybody’s standards.
“Al-Ahli have no real desire to let their top goalscorer leave in January as well as they want to try and win the Saudi Pro League title. It looks a difficult deal to do for so many reasons. Al-Ahli don’t really want to lose Toney and Toney’s not pushing for a move just yet either, despite maybe hoping to boost his chances of being in that England squad for next summer’s World Cup.”
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Why Tottenham should still push for Toney
That last comment surrounding England is the one big angle Tottenham need to push when trying to convince Toney to swap Saudi for a return home.
Frank’s men are currently going well at the top end of the Premier League table, despite not playing particularly well and also having those issues with the No.9 position.
That’s where the 29-year-old could be a stunning fit, having quit English football for the riches on offer in the Middle East 15 months ago.
Toney has been a prolific scorer in the Saudi Pro League, as you would expect for a player of his quality. His overall career totals are impressive, with 204 goals in 466 appearances in all competitions.
His pace, power and finishing ability would arguably be a notch up on what Frank already has at his disposal, although that’s probably harsh on Kolo Muani given the small sample size so far. Solanke, meanwhile, has also shown flashes that he could be a 20-goal-a-season forward for Tottenham if he could stay fit long enough.
O’Rourke also feels that Toney and Spurs are a strong fit, even if it will be a difficult transfer to pull off, adding: “Tottenham would be a good fit because of the Thomas Frank situation with Ivan Toney, but you’ve got to remember Tottenham have got a lot of attacking options in that team as well.
“Solanke out injured at the minute, they’ll be hoping they can get him back. Kolo Muani’s just returned from injury as well and then they’ve got Richarlison and Mathys Tel as well.
“They are quite well stocked in that area of the team. If maybe one of those players was to leave in January, then that might increase the likelihood of Tottenham bringing in a new striker in January.”