Tottenham Hotspur are being tipped to deliver another gut-wrenching blow to West Ham by swooping for another of their top stars, having also completed the £85million signing of midfielder Mateus Fernandes.
The north London club beat Manchester United to the sensational capture of Portugal star Fernandes on Thursday, in a move that crushed their previous transfer record – although that very record looks set to be blown out of the water again by the imminent arrival of Sandro Tonali from Newcastle.
Manager Roberto Di Zerbi has now named the three qualities he expects Fernandes to bring to his Tottenham midfield.
The £185million double signing radically revamps De Zerbi’s central midfield and follows on from the additions of Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke to do likewise to the backline.
It’s no secret, though, that De Zerbi was also unimpressed with Tottenham‘s faltering forward line though too during his seven games in charge that kept the club in the Premier League.
Spurs scored eight goals in those seven games, with only three of those strikes coming from the front three, and De Zerbi understandably wants much more output from his attackers in 2026/27.
Links to the likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Ivan Toney and, most recently Rafael Leao, will certainly appease fans, while there is even talk of the club splashing out another £80m-£100m on Bournemouth sensation Eli Junior Kroupi.
However, club insider John Wenham is pushing for a move for West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen, who has long been linked with a switch to north London, following the Hammers’ relegation.
The 29-year-old England international could quit the London Stadium this summer and would certainly provide more of a goal threat than the current options Tottenham have at their disposal.
Wenham believes that Bowen would be a significant upgrade in the wide positions for De Zerbi, having notched 20 goal involvements in a relegated side this past season.
Speaking to Tottenham News, he said: “He [Bowen] needs to move for his own career – he’s too good for the Championship.”
Asked if he’d want him at Tottenham, Wenham said: “Yeah, absolutely. It wouldn’t be a punt – he would start for us at right-wing.
“He would 100 per cent start for us and be good and be a guarantee of goals. I would 100 per cent take him.
“He would be one of our main goalscorers. He’d solve the issue we have in that Mathys Tel, Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons, when he is fit, do not score enough goals.”
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Three reasons why Bowen to Tottenham is unlikely
There are three issues surrounding a move for Bowen, however, the first of which is West Ham’s reluctance to offload arguably their best two players to bitter rivals in one window.
The second is the return from injury of Mohammed Kudus for Tottenham, with the Ghana star the club’s best attacking weapon in Bowen’s best position on the right flank before being struck down by a quad issue in early April.
Yes, Spurs could try and utilise Bowen through the middle, but he is far better operating from the right, so it’s difficult to see where De Zerbi fits them both in.
Kudus did play as a No.10 during his time at West Ham but openly admitted that it was not his best position and stated his preference for playing out wide.
Thirdly, the other clubs interested in signing Bowen. Indeed, it’s been reported that Bowen is keen to work with former Hammers boss David Moyes again at Everton, having played his best football during the Scot’s time in charge at the London Stadium.
Meanwhile, our sources indicate that Aston Villa are the frontrunners to snap up the England man, although no official offer has yet been made.
Either way, a move to Tottenham looks unlikely at this stage.