One win across their latest five Premier League games has ensured Tottenham Hotspur have failed to capitalise on the chaos surrounding many of their top-flight rivals, with Thomas Frank likely to come under fire himself if results do not start to improve.
A key crux of the issue remains the Dane's often pragmatic approach, with the Lilywhites netting just three goals across those five outings, a far cry from the flawed, yet frenzied attacking play under Ange Postecoglou.
Last season's top scorer, Brennan Johnson, has been sent packing to boot, even with the Wales star having still been the club's third most prolific presence this term across all fronts, alongside Joao Palhinha (4), and behind Micky van de Ven (6) and Richarlison (8).
As that list indicated, Richarlison aside, Frank simply hasn't got enough out of his forward line, while the continued absence of Dominic Solanke has hardly helped matters either.
In need then of further firepower, Spurs look to be making their move...
Spurs make enquiry over signing the new Solanke
It was only 18 months ago that Spurs dished out a club-record £65m fee to prise Solanke from Bournemouth, with the Englishman selected to be the belated replacement for Bayern-bound Harry Kane.
Seen just three times in action so far this term, however, the 28-year-old has sparked a real need for a genuine rival or replacement, with Porto's Samu Aghehowa believed to be on Frank's radar.
Away from the in-form Spaniard, TEAMtalk has also reported that Spurs are among the clubs in the mix of Wolverhampton Wanderers striker, Jorgen Strand Larsen, with the Premier League's bottom club ready to cash in on the Norwegian this month.
As per the report, enquiries have been made by Nottingham Forest, although the north Londoners, alongside Everton, Crystal Palace and Fulham, appear to have done the same, with the quartet all said to be being 'kept informed' regarding his situation.
The 25-year-old was close to heading to Newcastle United over the summer, for a figure approaching £60m, although he could now be worth closer to £40m, as Wolves look to rake in almost double what they paid for him.
Why Strand Larsen could be another Solanke
It's been a solid, albeit largely frustrating tale for Spurs' leading man of late, with Solanke having scored 16 times in 48 games across all fronts, a record of a goal every three games.
Just nine of those came in the Premier League, however, with the one-time Chelsea and Liverpool forward failing to hit the heights of his 19-goal league haul the year prior for the Cherries - the standout season of his career to date.
There may be concerns that Spurs have snapped up something of a one-season wonder, considering the England international has scored just 38 goals in 163 top-flight games, with there a fear of a similar scenario occurring with regard to Strand Larsen.
Indeed, the Norwegian striker did dazzle for the Old Gold in 2024/25, after netting 14 league goals to steer the club to safety, although he has since scored just once in the league this time around, hence Wolves' willingness to sell.
Looking further back, like Solanke, the towering marksman hasn't exactly been prolific at his previous clubs, scoring just 18 in 74 games for Celta Vigo, while chalking up 27 in 71 for Groningen.
Spurs may well have been spoiled by the remarkably reliable heroics of Harry Kane, but after such high standards, they can't expect any form of mediocrity or inconsistency.
Solanke, unfortunately, is drifting into that type of territory, and on the evidence of his form at Molineux this season, so could Strand Larsen, with the pair having even been deemed statistically and stylistically similar players in the Premier League in 2024/25, as per FBref.
Of course, as he did show last term, the Scandinavian star can be a real "nuisance" for top-flight opposition, as noted by the great Alan Shearer, but can Spurs really afford another expensive gamble?
Frank and co only have to look to the summer to see how spending big on a striker doesn't translate to instant rewards, be it Alexander Isak, Benjamin Sesko or Viktor Gyokeres, with it perhaps just as important to enhance the creative supply line behind the attacking unit.
Indeed, for all Spurs' centre-forward woes, maybe now is not the time to panic in the window - they can't afford Solanke 2.0.