Tottenham are said to be eyeing a striker who could be available for a bargain fee in the winter.
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Tottenham are now said to be looking at signing a striker in the winter transfer window as they ponder a potential upgrade on Dominic Solanke. It has been a solid start to the season for Spurs, who picked up a big win over Everton on the weekend to bounce back from a run of underwhelming performances in the Premier League and Europe.
Thomas Frank’s men are currently in third place, and they certainly would have taken that coming into the season given how last season went. Having said that, they do now have a few litmus tests to take care of in a very tough run of fixtures that will see them take on Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal consecutively in the league, while a cup game with Newcastle and a Champions League clash with holders PSG also have to be taken care of before the end of November.
After those fixtures, we should have a clearer idea of what Tottenham’s realistic ambitions are and whether they will be in the mix for Champion League qualification. Either way, Tottenham are already likely to have plans for the January transfer window, with sporting chief Fabio Paratici now back at the helm following a FIFA suspension.
According to TBR Football, Spurs could revisit the idea of signing Dusan Vlahovic, who was linked with the club in 2022 ahead of his move to Juventus. It’s reported Juventus could make the striker available for £20million in the January window in a bid to prevent a free departure next summer, given he is out of contract. Naturally, clubs outside Italy can agree a pre-contract with the striker ahead of the summer from January 1.
That will be an attractive option to many, but it’s a risky move given the number of clubs likely to come to the table. Tottenham can beat the queue by agreeing a fee before January rolls around, and £20million is a bargain fee for a player Juve signed for £66.6million. The striker has scored 45 times in 112 league appearances for Juve, and crucially, he is still only 25 years of age. He has six goals in 14 appearances this season.
Former Juventus manager Igor Tudor said of Vlahovic in September: “I’ll repeat what I have already said. In this month and a half of preparation he has always been focused, he has worked as an example. [Juventus general manager] Comolli said he is staying and I’m happy. He is a strong player and hopefully he keeps up this scoring rate, which is no small thing.
“Only two games have been played. I want to go match by match and do our best in the next one. Stay focused and train well, then we’ll see where this mindset and way of working takes us.”
Solanke is not living up to expectations
Spurs may be - and perhaps should be - considering Vlahovic because £65million signing Dominic Solanke has not lived up to expectations at the club so far. The striker has scored nine goals in 29 league appearances and has been injury prone of late, missing 22 games since March through three different injuries.
Solanke hasn’t been egregiously poor, but it feels like he has been given extra grace for one reason or another, while other Premier League players have been heavily criticised for failing to perform to a high level after arriving on deals priced as highly as £65million. That narrative is now starting to turn, and we are now seeing reports of Frank being unhappy with Solanke, whether they are accurate or not.
The addition of V;ahovic could add much needed competition for Solanke, and if Spurs still aren’t impressed, they would have the room to cut ties next summer.